Hearts of Glass
by Maresia Eterna
Summary: (Sequel to See Me Not) "How do people make love?" he asked, and she dropped the book. "You're asking me what, exactly?" she asked back, and he rested his hand over his heart. "…How can two people make something that it's supposed to be here?" (ON HOLD)
1. Moments of Solitude

**Disclaimer: **I own the plot and some OCs. Nothing else!

**Hearts of Glass**

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**Summary:** "Naruto, look out!" someone shouted from afar, but before Naruto could move, someone stepped in front of him. Then, a familiar red-eye stared at him. "I always have to save your life, ne dobe?" GaaraOC, NarutoHinata, TemariShikamaruOC, LeeSakuraSasuke

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Okay people, this is the _sequel_ of **See Me Not**, but before I let you read the first chapter I must inform you of some things because I'm worried about the timeline. Ok so…_two_ _years_ have passed since Sasuke left, _but_ you will have spoilers. Not too many, in fact, **_there are two spoilers_**; the most important one, however, has to do with Gaara. This fic started after he _lost_ Shukaku because I thought it would be interesting to know how Gaara behaves after that, and the second spoiler…well, it's kind of clear in the fic so I won't say it unless someone has doubts. Also, since Gaara lost Shukaku in this fic, he will behave like he appears to in the new episodes of Naruto.

I must also inform you that **_English_** is my **_second_** language, so _please_ ignore the mistakes.

Thanks for the attention!

Oh wait! I have a problem with the pairings! Since Sasuke left, I'm going to write the plot with Lee and Sakura growing closer. However, as you can see in the summary, Sasuke _is_ going to appear, and I would like you to tell me; who do you want to see Sakura with? Sasuke or Lee? I must inform that I am _not_ a Sakura/Sasuke fan, but I'll willingly give it a try if you people want me to. Well, here comes the first chapter!

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**Quote That Helped To Write This Fic:** "I will work hard, because I want to be acknowledged by others. That's what I thought when I looked at Uzumaki Naruto. Bonds with others… Until now, I had only known them as hate and murderous intent. But I wonder, what is that bond that he longed for? Now, I think I understand, even if only a little. Pain, sadness…and joy. These feelings allow you to understand others." Sabaku no Gaara, _Episode 220._

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**Chapter 1**

Moments of Solitude

He did not know where to look. Everyone was fighting, everyone was getting hurt…everyone was dying as they continued to fight for what they believed in. Screams were the melody of that stained night, tears were the cursed blessing of the stars. Hearts were breaking at each new thrust, and hopes were being shattered at each new lost.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he shouted, not looking around when shadow clones with his appearance surrounded him, but before he could attack the closest enemy, a familiar scream reached his ears.

He knew that scream so well that a shiver run down his spine.

Twirling around, still holding a kunai up, he could not help but open his eyes wide in shock when he spot the person who had cried out in pain. She had fallen on her knees, and was visibly too exhausted to keep fighting; her clothes were torn and dirty enough to show how long she had been fighting.

The problem, however, was that she was so exhausted that she failed to see the person emerging from behind her, holding a spear. Then, he moved by instinct; his lips parted as he shouted her name, the young woman staring at him before glancing over her shoulder.

And he knew.

He was not seeing her face, but he could imagine the look of terror in her pale features.

And all he could think of was about protecting her.

"Hinata!" he shouted at same time he saw the opponent raise a spear just above the girl's nape, and he clenched his fists; he was not going to allow anything to happen to her. "Hinata, move!"

But it was obvious that she was not going to jump aside; she was simply too tired and too weak even to raise a finger. And that was why he had to reach her side. That was why he had to make his legs move at full speed, ignoring his aching muscles.

All he wanted was to reach her side.

"Hinata!" he shouted, his eyes widening when he saw the smirk on the opponent's face, and he screamed when the spear suddenly came down. All he had been able to do then was to jump forward, and pull the girl to the side only to hear her crying out.

In confusion, he stared down at the girl's legs only to growl in rage when he saw that the spear had caught her leg. However, before he could even move, the opponent pushed the spear even deeper into Hinata's leg, and the girl started screaming and crying in pain.

"Get away from her!" he shouted, resting a hand on the ground before swinging his leg, kicking the man on the side, sending him flying on the air. "I'm going to kill you for hurting her!"

"Naruto, look out!" someone shouted from afar, and he turned around, ready to protect Hinata with all he had, but before he could move someone stepped in front of him.

The sound of metal meeting metal echoed in the air, and surprise and shock grew on his tired face when his eyes meet a black coat. Slowly, he gazed up, and a familiar red-eye stared back at him.

"It seems that I always have to save your life, ne dobe?"

»« **Three Months Ago** »«

With a deep breath, a woman with long blonde hair leaned against the back of her chair, her hands resting on the desk in front of her. Her amber coloured eyes were locked with a document also resting on the desk while a fresh breeze was coming from behind her, through the open windows.

Then, for one moment, the woman closed her eyes, savouring the silence that had now become more precious than silver and gold. The last two years had been, to put it simple, strenuous; and it was all because of one ninja's disappearance.

Yes, after Uchiha Sasuke's disappearance it seemed as if all hell had broken lose.

First, there was Haruno Sakura. At the beginning the girl had tried to go after Sasuke, and had even tried to escape from the village once without no one knowing, but after the first months grieving, Sakura had finally accepted what had happened. Ever since then, all Sakura did was train in order to become the one who would heal Sasuke. Watching the girl's back was Rock Lee, who definitely had a great responsibility in reminding Sakura of her purpose towards Konoha.

Then there was Uzumaki Naruto; now that one _always_ tried to find a way to leave Konoha. Of course that he was always stopped by the gates, but the boy just did not know when to quit. Hyuuga Hinata, a shy girl, was now in charge of making sure that Naruto did not cross the line since they had indeed grown closer after Sasuke's sudden departure.

Everybody else was practically doing the same things; plotting plans that could convince the Fifth Hokage to let them go after Sasuke. Of course that due to their constant nagging, the Hokage had been forced to take serious measures.

Slowly the woman grabbed the document in front of her, and stared at the black words. Inuzuka Kiba was in charge of guarding Anei Suki; most of the time was spent between fights since the boy was a canine lover while the girl loved felines, but at least those differences kept the two of them in Konoha.

Nara Shikamaru, after going through a very rough experience, had decided to spend all his time helping Fuzen Hana with her medical studies at same time he helped her to improve her jutsus. The Fifth Hokage had agreed with such decision mostly because Shikamaru did need to think about something else, and because those two ninja were the least of her worries.

Everyone else was too busy with missions to even process one tiny thought about Sasuke much less to plot a whole plan.

"Tsunade-sama!" an exasperate voice called-out, and the woman looked up from the paper she was holding only to stare at another woman with short black hair and matching eyes. "I was calling you for five minutes now."

"What is it, Shizune?" Tsunade questioned as she leaned forward in order to rest her chin on her hands, after putting the document down. "Did Naruto try to escape again?"

"Actually, I came here to tell you I've just examined Kurenai." Shizune started, a pink pig standing next to her feet. "She's doing great. She told me that Shikamaru's support has been of great help."

"Four months, ne?" Tsunade inquired before gazing down at the document, and Shizune nodded in silent agreement. "Did you inform her that Shikamaru must go on this new mission?"

"Yes, and she understands it; after all, a ninja must protect his village at all costs." Shizune answered with another brief nod, and Tsunade took a deep breath as she leaned against the chair again. "I'm not sure if Shikamaru will accept the mission, though."

"I'm afraid I'll have to force him to go then." Tsunade started, now staring at the document. "The bond between Konohagakure and Sunagakure will become stronger if they go. I will not allow them to reject this mission."

As soon as those words left the Hokage's lips there was a _knock_, and moments later the door of the office was opened. Slowly members of the called 'generation of hope' stepped inside; a generation that had developed correctly although, as expected, there were still some behaviours that needed to fade away.

"Tsunade-basan!" a hyper voice greeted, and the Hokage stared at the first nineteen-year-old that had walked inside. Uzumaki Naruto, now 5'8 tall, had grown up to become one of the most attractive males in Konoha due to his well developed body and tanned complexion. His personality, however, still belonged to a twelve-year-old boy.

"Ohayou, Hokage-sama."

Hyuuga Hinata had blossomed into a beautiful woman. Her hair now reached her elbows, her pale lavender eyes with white pupils still working like mirrors, reflecting the girl's emotions and feelings. Still rather shy, Hinata would still stutter and blush when nervous, but her strength had developed greatly.

"Ohayou."

Fuzen Hana had developed just like Hinata, and like the first girl, still had the habit of hiding her body with long coats. Hana still got nervous when talking to her superiors or strangers, but truth was that Hana had become, without actually acknowledging it, the point of sanity of the boy that was standing beside her.

"Man, this is so troublesome…"

Nara Shikamaru, the lazy genius who had recently lost his sensei. Finding it too troublesome to reveal his emotions, Shikamaru had decided to lock everything inside, never to reveal his tears. After Asuma's death, the only emotion that he had revealed was when he promised to Yuuhi Kurenai to take care of her and protect the child she was carrying, result of Kurenai and Asuma's relationship.

"Listen up, I need the four of you to leave Konoha on a mission." Tsunade started in her strong voice, but she continued when she saw Naruto opening his mouth to speak. "And no, you are not allowed to go after Sasuke."

"Aww man, when are you going to let us go?" Naruto whined as he pouted, but Tsunade ignored him by staring at the three other shinobi standing silently in front of her.

"This mission is of extreme importance, so don't you even think about refusing to go." the woman continued, her eyes finding Shikamaru's for a long moment. "It is crucial for you to go because the bond between Konohagakure and Sunagakure is at risk."

"What? Did something happen to Gaara?" Naruto questioned suddenly, looking worried, and Tsunade turned to him before shaking her head. "Why do we need to go to Sunagakure? Why can't we just go after Sasuke?"

"Naruto, I just explained why." Tsunade started, a hint of annoyance in her words, and the boy blinked. "Sunagakure is in need of a hospital; they have started to rebuild theirs for quite some time, but it's taking too long. They're medical staff is also very small for the village, hence the fact I'm sending Hinata and Hana with you. Sakura will follow you shortly, but she must complete some training first."

"Man, this is so troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered, his hands stuffed into his pockets, a bored look on his face. "You seriously want us to go help that village with a construction? We're ninja, not carpenters, and I doubt Naruto will actually be able to help."

"At least I don't mind raising a finger, you lazy guy." Naruto retorted, and Tsunade rolled her eyes; at least all of them were going on with their lives, and not getting stuck in events that had happened on the past. "We are going, but you must promise me that you'll send us after Sasuke afterwards."

"I can't make such promise, Naruto, you know that." Tsunade started before smirking. "But I guess I can think about it. Now, you must get ready; you'll leave tomorrow morning, and before you ask, yes, I will send someone to check on you soon."

"Alright! Sunagakure, here we come!" Naruto shouted, throwing a punch in the air, and while both Hinata and Hana smiled slightly at his behaviour, Shikamaru sighed and Tsunade shook her head.

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He honestly did not understand people or their behaviour towards some aspects of life. When it was summer, they would walk in the streets, laughing at stupid things; during autumn, everyone would come out at night, and stare at the stars, most of those groups having only one boy and one girl. During winter it was common for him to spot people snuggling close together in coffee-shops, doing things he did not understand, and during spring….that was the weirdest season of all because people seemed to become all goofy and mushy.

It was simply too confusing for him, especially because he would always end up feeling some sort of…emptiness inside of him every time he noticed those events. And that was simply annoying…

When he heard the sound of footsteps just outside the closed door of his office, a pair of cyan-coloured eyes turned away from the open window. In silence, the nineteen-year-old boy stared at the papers he had yet to fill, resting on his desk, and a warm breeze started caressing his spiky carmine-coloured hair.

"Come in." he spoke in an emotionless tone of voice, his eyes slipping to the door although his head was still turned to the papers, and in silence he watched the door being opened slowly.

"Gaara, I brought you some more papers." a girl spoke as she stepped inside, her sandy-blonde coloured hair pulled into four ponytails as she carried a pile of documents, and he narrowed his eyes. Even though her face was hidden by the pile, he simply stared at his desk, his arms pressed against his chest.

"You can put them here." he spoke in rather commanding tone, and it did not take long for the girl to put the pile over the desk, and then she looked up revealing her dark teal coloured eyes. "Where's Kankuro?"

"He's helping out with the construction of the hospital." the girl explained, a hand resting on her hip, and Gaara nodded in reply. "I also received a message from Konoha; they're going to send some medicals who accepted to help us while we train our own healers."

"Temari…" Gaara called-out when the girl turned around, in order to leave the office, but she looked over her shoulder, waiting for him to continue. "Who was sent from Konoha?"

"I think you'll be happy for seeing them again." Temari started, and the corner of her lips curled into a small smile, and Gaara stared at her by the corner of his eyes. "At first it was only supposed to come Hyuuga Hinata, and a girl called Fuzen Hana, but we all know how the Leaf shinobi are, and Uzumaki Naruto and Nara Shikamaru are coming as well."

"Uzumaki…Naruto?" Gaara repeated, and Temari nodded as she turned to her side, her hand resting on her hip. "When is their arrival due to?"

"I would say this week, but we all know how Naruto's timing is, so I can't give an accurate answer." Temari replied, but Gaara just continued to stare at her. "I was also told that some ninja from other villages will show up as well, to give us a hand when the hospital starts working. I'll fill a report about that, and give it to you straight away."

"…thank you." Gaara thanked right when Temari rested a hand on the doorknob, and the girl looked over her shoulder once again, only to nod as she smiled slightly, and then she left the office. When he was alone, Gaara stood up from his chair, and walked up to the closest window before staring outside.

As always, wind was carrying sand everywhere, but people could still be spotted walking through the almost desert streets of Sunagakure. In comparison with Konohagakure that village sure needed to develop, but it was not as if they had the same level nor the same weather.

Gaara was about to return to his seat when his emotionless eyes noticed a couple walking through a street, hand-in-hand. He seriously did not understand the emotions that seemed to draw two people to each other…those kind of feelings were so foreign to him, even though he was learning not to be as hostile as he used to be when in presence of others. Other thing Gaara was trying to change was how to react when around his friends…Kankuro often told him he was getting friendlier (Gaara guessed it was probably because he was slowly talking with his brother about his problems and dreams), but Gaara was not sure. All he knew was that he had to thank one certain person about his oh-so-slightly changed personality.

And that person was Uzumaki Naruto.

"Naruto…" Gaara whispered under his breathe before looking away from the couple he had been watching, and silently he walked towards his chair where he sat down. With a blank expression on his face Gaara stared at the pile Temari had just brought, and quickly grabbed the first document.

When they had decided to build the hospital, Gaara had ordered Temari to go to Konoha talk with the Hokage in order to request for help. Despite of everything, they did lack in staff so it was crucial to ask other villages to send some healers. Of course that when Gaara had sent Temari, he had never expected Naruto to come along.

"Humph, I wonder if he changed…" Gaara muttered as he started studying and signing the projects and documents in the pile. However, moments later, a pain shot from his heart, and Gaara clutched his shirt as he closed his eyes.

The pain in his heart…it was returning…

**To Be Continued…**

So…is it good? Bad? Awful? Should I get another job? »hehe« Shall I continue? Please, be honest. Thank you!


	2. Hyper Tranquility

**Disclaimer:** I only own the plot and the unknown characters. Everything else belongs to their rightful owners.

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I want to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter _and_ the last one of See Me Not. Your support has been truly important. I would also like to apology if action seems to take a while to arrive, but I thought that it would be better to explain everything first before jumping into the drama. I hope that's alright with you. Once again, I thank you for everything!

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**Chapter 2**

Hyper Tranquillity

A cloud of smoke was carried away by the wind until it hit Naruto right on the face, and he immediately started coughing. Quickly covering his nose, the boy turned his back to the smoke, his eyes closed as he tried to stop coughing at same time he waved his left hand in the air. After a few moments Naruto finally managed to calm down, and slowly he opened his eyes before turning around.

"Hey, mind not doing that? Some people here don't like to be passive smokers!" he exclaimed angrily, his right fist rose in front of his chest, and a pair of black eyes turned to him. "Man, quit that already."

"Tsk, stop being so troublesome." Shikamaru muttered as he lowered his cigarette, his usual bored expression on his face. "You're the one who didn't notice that the direction of the wind was changing."

"Well, you're the one who keeps saying that that thing is going to end up killing you, and yet you don't stop smoking." Naruto pointed out, still on the same tone of voice, and then he sighed. "I seriously think Hana should do something about that. Or perhaps Temari, since we're going to Sunagakure."

"Tsk, why would I be bothered by what that woman thinks?" Shikamaru questioned, in a uninterested tone before putting the cigarette back to his lips in order to put his hands behind his neck. "Man, this is such a drag, they're fifteen minutes late."

"You're the one who told them we would meet here." Naruto retorted before tapping his foot on the ground impatiently, and then he crossed his arms. "What do you say about us going pick them up? I mean, if Sakura was coming too I would understand their delay, but man, they're just two."

"Women, I believe its safer not to understand them." Shikamaru said with a small shrug, but the sound of footsteps made them look behind them only to breathe in relief when the spot two girls coming towards them. They seemed to be talking cheerfully, bags on their backs as they continued laughing quietly and gesturing from time-to-time.

"Oi, cut that out, we're already late!" Shikamaru exclaimed without taking the cigarette from his lips, and suddenly the two girls turned to the gates. "Man, what happened for you to be this late? Did you get lost or something?"

"But Shimamaru-san, you said we're supposed to meet at 10 o'clock." Hana commented as she looked at him, revealing her dark brown eyes. "And hum…according to our watches we still have five minutes left."

"What? Man, telling me your kidding!" Naruto exclaimed, and Hinata looked at him, revealing the soft blush on her cheeks. "See? I told you it was too soon when you showed up at my door! And to think I left without brushing my teeth and face!"

"Man, that's too much unrequited information." Shikamaru spoke as he finally grabbed his cigarette, and blew a wave of smoke to the air. "C'mon, we better get going since we're already here. Hinata, Hana, did you speak with the Hokage before coming here?"

"Hai." Hinata spoke in a timid voice. "She said we have three months top, and that in case something happens, you have to return to Konoha at once. She also said that whoever is going to make sure we are in Sunagakure will either arrive later."

"Man, we haven't even left, and she's already telling us when to return." Shikamaru muttered as he rose a hand from his pocket, and then he sighed at same time he threw the cigarette to the ground, and stepped on it. "This is such a drag."

"Oi, c'mon! You were the one who said we were already late!" Naruto shouted suddenly, and everyone turned to him only to see the boy already going ahead of them. "C'mon you lazy people! I want to arrive to Sunagakure by nightfall!"

"Man, he'll never stop being troublesome." Shikamaru muttered as he started walking after his friend, who eventually stopped walking in order to wait for them. "Oi, Naruto! I'm the leader remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to wait for you." the blond retorted, though he had not moved from the spot. "C'mon, what about a little bit of stamina? You really should think about whom is going to be waiting for you."

"Shut up." Shikamaru hissed under his breathe as he finally stepped beside Naruto, who started laughing wickedly at him. "We're going there on a mission, not to stare at some girls."

"Naruto-kun, why did you accept to come with us so effortlessly?" Hinata asked suddenly, from behind Shikamaru, a soft pink colour on her cheeks, and the blond boy looked at her over his shoulder.

"Like I always say, blame Tsunade-basan for my presence." Naruto replied with a small shrug, and everyone saw the dark look growing on his features. "She's trying her best to keep me from going after Sasuke, and she knows I want to see Gaara again. I'm sure she used the restoration of the hospital as an excuse to have me out of her sight for a couple of months."

"Tsk, it seems to me that we're all here against our will." Shikamaru muttered as he took another cigarette from out-of-nowhere, and slowly he put it on his lips. "Man, this is going to be such a drag. Why didn't the Hokage chose someone else?"

"I bet it has to do with those members from the Anei clan." Naruto spoke suddenly in a surprising harsh tone, but then he shook his head before looking at his friends with a small smile. "C'mon, just think we're going to see Gaara and everyone else. I wonder how he is now that he doesn't have the Shukaku."

"What's the Shukaku?" Hana questioned suddenly from behind Naruto, who stared at her with a surprised look which made the girl blush in embarrassment. "Sorry, I don't know much about your friends, and err…Gaara, he's the Kazekage from Sunagakure, ne?"

"Oh yeah, I always tend to forget you're from Takigakure, and that you didn't come with us when we saved Gaara." Naruto spoke suddenly, and Hana nodded. "Shame on you for not explaining her where we're going, Shikamaru, but I guess we can always fill you in now, ne? So hum…lets see…before we mention Shukaku, I think its better if we tell you who's Gaara and his siblings."

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"Oi, Temari, what on earth is going on in here?" a boy with makeup on his face asked as he walked towards the girl, who was currently sitting on a blue sofa, her back turned to an open window. "If you have time to chill, you could have showed up to give us a hand."

"Tsk, you men always complain when a woman shows up, and does something better than you." Temari started with a smirk at same time she crossed her legs, and the young man sat down beside her. "I just saved you the trouble of feeling inferior around me."

"Still you could have showed up." the boy commented, and Temari entitled her head backwards and closed her eyes when a warm breeze entered through the window. "Say, where's Gaara? Is he still locked up in his office?"

"C'mon Kankurou, you know that Gaara has other priorities." Temari started, glancing at her brother, her elbows resting on the back of the sofa. "I just handed him a pile of documents to sign. What worries me is that he doesn't relax. Ever since he lost Shukaku that he hasn't stopped, and I'm afraid he ends up getting ill. You should actually be useful, and go talk to him."

"Did you forget the colossal step I gave right before we were attacked?" Kankurou questioned, and Temari stared at him. "Did you forget that Gaara actually started talking to me? That's a huge step to all of us, and I already told you why he doesn't stop; Gaara himself confessed that he wants to develop and protect Sunagakure, and that's the main reason why he doesn't have a break."

"Still, he doesn't need to kill himself on the process." Temari commented, rather bitterly, "He's still afraid of sleeping… Sometimes I think we should do something rather than just give him more work."

Suddenly there was a scream, and both Temari and Kankurou glanced at each other before getting to their feet. Without even exchanging a word, the two siblings started running down the hall, towards Gaara's office, but they stopped their tracks when the spot a worker backing away from the open doors that lead to their sibling's office.

"Gaara!" both of them called-out before running towards the doors, but when they were about to walk inside, they were forced to stop. It seemed as if a hurricane had crossed that office; everything from bookshelves to papers were everywhere, sand also covering the corners and the windows.

"Gaara!" Temari shouted when she spot her brother, trying to stand up by using the desk as support, and Kankurou quickly went after her. "Gaara, what happened here? Are you alright?"

Slowly Gaara looked up at his sister while holding the side of his head with his right hand, but when he opened his mouth to speak, he fell on his knees. Then, a scream left his lips at same time he clutched the front of his vest with his left hand.

»«»«»«

Everyone could not help but stare as a group of people walked inside the village, all of them wearing different forehead protectors that indicated to which country they truly belonged to. The only thing they all hold in common were the kitbags some of them were carrying, along with the bags resting on their shoulders. Along the small crowd were children, holding the hands of their parents, while other adults walked alone, observing the village where they would stay for a few months.

Everyone had accepted to go to Sunagakure by their own free will, because all of them believed that was the best decision to be made. After all, helping the sand ninjas would allow their countries to create a stronger bond, and that was exactly what everyone wanted; to bring peace, not war, to their villages and nations.

In the middle of that crowd, a small group of four elements could be spotted, walking slowly. None of them were talking but observing their surroundings, one with a shocked look, two of them with curiosity and the last one with boredom. A hot breeze was playing with the sand underneath their feet as they kept on walking, only stopping when they reached the protection of one of the rare trees close to their position.

"So, where do we go now?" Naruto questioned, his hands resting behind his neck, and Shikamaru sighed. "I think we should go see Gaara right away, to let him know that we're here. What do you guys think?"

"I think Naruto-kun is right." Hinata agreed in a soft tone as she rested a hand against her chest, her long navy-blue hair blowing at the wind. "What do you think, Shikamaru-san?"

"Hai, hai, lets go." Shikamaru muttered, his hands stuffed into his pockets, but before they could move, a child appeared out-of-nowhere, and promptly fell in front of Hinata and Hana. "Gee, how troublesome…"

"Oh, hey, don't cry." Hana hushed as she bent down on her knees, her hand on top of the little girl's head, and then she smiled when the girl looked at her with big forest green coloured eyes. "C'mon, give me one big smile, and I promise I'll help you find your mother."

The little girl sniffled as Hana helped her to stand up on her feet, but a small smile did grown on her face, and Hinata also smiled when she noticed that the little girl's front teeth were missing. Silently, Hana took the little girl's hand, but before one of them could speak they heard someone shout.

"Maiko! Maiko, where are you?"

"Onee-chan!" the little girl shouted back, still without releasing Hana's hand, and everyone looked to their side only to see another girl, this one probably as old as them, gazing around before turning to them. "Onee-chan, over here!"

"Maiko, how many times have I told you not to leave my sight like that?" the older girl scolded as she walked towards the group, her long cobalt-blue hair caressing her pale cheeks as she walked. "You know there's no need for you to get lost in this village when we have just arrived."

"Gomen ne, onee-chan, but I thought I had seen a bird, and I wanted to see it." the little girl apologized in a quiet tone, her eyes now locked with the ground, and the older girl sighed before bending down on her knees.

"I just don't want you to get lost in a village that's not our own." she said before looking up, revealing her dark-indigo coloured eyes. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"Oh, it's fine." Hana spoke at same time Shikamaru muttered 'troublesome' under his breathe, and the girl smiled at them before turning to her younger sister. "Did you come with everyone else?"

"Oh yes, I'm here to work as a medical-nin." the girl answered, and everyone finally spotted her forehead protector, which was wrapped around her right upper arm, with the symbol of Kirigakure. "What about you?"

"Oh, we're here to protect Sunagakure!" Naruto shouted suddenly, raising his right hand on the air, and the girl stared at him. "Well, at least Shikamaru and I are; Hinata and Hana are here to help at the hospital as well."

"Perhaps we'll end up bumping into each other again, then." the girl said, now holding Maiko's hand, and then she smiled at the small group. "In other circumstances I hope, but until then…"

"Oi, wait up! You didn't tell us your name!" Naruto exclaimed when the girl turned around, and gave a few steps forward, but then she looked behind her again, and smiled embarrassedly.

"My name is Mairi. Karim Mairi." she said before bowing in respect, and then she started leading her sister away at same time Maiko looked over her shoulder, and waved at the group.

"Tsk, lets stop wasting time now, and go see the Kazekage before our heads start rolling." Shikamaru spoke suddenly, and while Hinata and Hana nodded, Naruto eyed his team mate suspiciously.

"Man, if you want to see Temari, just say so, there's no need for you to pretend you're interested in seeing Gaara." Naruto teased, and while Hinata chuckled, Hana blinked in confusion, and Shikamaru sighed.

"Man, why did I have to end up on a team with you of all people?"

»«»«»«

"How is he?"

Those were the first words that left Temari's lips when she saw Kankurou leave Gaara's office, while closing the door behind him. When silence was all that answered her, Temari could not help but feel a bit anxious about her younger brother's condition, but when Kankurou sighed she walked to his side.

"He says he's fine." Kankurou answered after a few moments in silence, and Temari breathed in relief. "He almost threw me out of the office, so whatever happened to him wasn't as bad as we thought."

"Do you think it has anything to do with…?"

"I don't know; all I know is that Gaara is not going to see any medical-nin even if we force him." Kankurou interrupted before shrugging. "That if we could actually force Gaara to do something, but we both know that's impossible. Unless, of course, we want to lose our heads."

"But I was just informed that the medicals from other countries have just arrived, we could at least ask him to go see the hospital." Temari started, and Kankurou stared at her. "That way, if he had another attack, he would already be there, and he wouldn't be able to leave."

"Right, as if medical-nin were enough to stop Gaara from doing whatever he wants." Kankurou said, a hint of amusement in his voice, and Temari rolled her eyes. "He's changing, Temari, but he's still learning."

"Even so, we wouldn't lose anything just by trying." Temari spoke in a low tone of voice, but then something crossed her mind. "Wait. What about Naruto? He was the one who helped Gaara to change, and perhaps…you know, with that idiotic personality of his, he can convince Gaara to go to the hospital."

"Well, I don't know about that; like you said, Naruto _is_ an idiot." Kankurou pointed-out before shrugging. "I still believe he hasn't gotten more matured, but hey, we can always try."

"Try what?" a voice asked suddenly, and the two siblings looked to their side only to see the small group of ninjas from Konoha standing at the top of the stairs that lead to that floor. "So, this is what you people call welcoming party?"

"Naruto, stop being so troublesome." Shikamaru sighed, his hands still stuffed on his pockets, and both Temari and Kankurou turned to them. "Oi, where are we supposed to stay during these months?"

"Finally admitting that you don't know something?" Temari questioned, resting a hand on her hip, and Shikamaru looked away as he tsk'ed. "Again."

"Man, this is already being a drag, so don't bother me with more troubles." Shikamaru retorted back, glancing at Temari by the corner of his eyes, and the girl smirked at him at same time Kankurou shook his head.

"You're staying at an apartment close to the hospital." Kankurou started, "Everyone who came from other villages is going to stay in the same neighbour, so you won't feel too lonely when you start feeling homesick."

"Who said we're going to feel homesick?" Naruto asked, arms crossed behind his neck. "Man, how old do you think we are? We never felt homesick before, and I truly doubted will start feeling now."

"Yeah, I'm sure in a couple of weeks you'll be thinking differently." Kankurou started with a knowing smile, and Naruto stared at him with a suspicious look on his face. "After all, there are no ramen restaurants around here."

"_WHAT?_ _No_ ramen restaurants?" Naruto shouted, making Shikamaru cover both his ears while Hana winced, and Hinata gasped when the blond suddenly fainted.

"Naruto-kun!"

"Stop being an idiot, Kankurou, don't forget that we need their help." Temari muttered under her breath, and she stared at her brother by the corner of her eyes. "Now, go inform Gaara that they're here."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Kankurou sighed before turning to the doors that lead to Gaara's office, and after knocking he walked inside. "Gaara, our…special guests have just arrived, do you want to see them now or can I tell them to bug off?"

"Send them in." Gaara replied shortly from his seat behind the desk, and after a quick nod Kankurou turned around, and ordered for everyone to get inside the office.

"Oi Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed too brightly for someone who had just fainted, a wide smile on his face while a joyful flame was dancing in his eyes. "How are you feeling since the last time we saw each other? Man, I'm sorry for not saying anything, but you know how missions can be."

"Hello." Gaara greeted in his usual calm voice, his arms pressed against his chest, and everyone else bowed at him while repeating the same greeting. "I see you haven't changed."

"Eh, well you know me." Naruto started embarrassedly while scratching the back of his neck. "Never changing, that's for sure, but hey, we're not here to talk about me. How's the construction going?"

"Fine."

"I see you still don't like to talk much." Naruto commented, and Shikamaru sighed since his friend just liked to point out the obvious. "Anyway, I'm sure you know Shikamaru, and these two are Hyuuga Hinata and Fuzen Hana. They're the ones who accepted to work in your hospital while you train your own medical-nin. I think Sakura is going to show up later too."

"Man, what on earth does he eat to have such energy?" Kankurou asked in a low tone so that only Temari was able to hear it, and the girl smirked before shrugging in reply. "Do you really think he's going to help us with this?"

"Well, he _did_ help us before." Temari whispered back, "Besides, it's not him who's going to take care of the patients so I guess we can have a little bit of faith in this mission."

"So, when do you want us to start working?" Naruto asked, and Gaara looked at him before staring at the three other ninja beside him, and then he stared back at the blond. "You know we can even help you with the construction. All you have to do is tell us."

"Tomorrow is fine." Gaara replied calmly, and then he glanced at his siblings. "Temari will take you to your house, and Kankurou will show you the hospital tomorrow. Feel free to do whatever you two want from that moment on."

"Eh? Just that?" Naruto asked with a blink, but when Shikamaru sighed, everyone stared at him.

"With no intend of sounding offensive, I really must say that when the Fifth Hokage sent us it was with the purpose of us helping out." Shikamaru started, "This is too troublesome, but its an order, so I would appreciate it if you could tell us what to do."

"…You can help in the construction." Gaara replied after a long silence, and Shikamaru nodded in reply while Naruto smiled brightly. "The girls can start working at the hospital tomorrow. Any doubts, talk to Kankurou or Temari."

"Thank you." Shikamaru said as both Hana and Hinata bowed in respect, but Gaara simply watched them leaving, but not before Naruto waved in goodbye, a wide grin on his face. "Now tell me, is it just me or there's something off?"

"What do you mean?" Kankurou questioned, as he stared at the Jounin, who tsk'ed in reply as the group walked down the hall.

"I don't know Gaara as well as you or that trouble guy over there," Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, who was whistling happily in front of him, "but I'm not stupid, and I noticed something was wrong. If it doesn't concern the mission don't tell me, but if it does, I would appreciate it if you could fill me in."

"Don't worry then, this has nothing to do with your mission." Kankurou replied, "But if you want to know something else, ask Temari. She has more free time than everybody else altogether."

"Temari, eh?" Shikamaru muttered under his breath, and then he glanced behind him to the group, only to look away when he spot Temari talking to Hana and Hinata. "Man, why do I have the feeling this mission is going to be more troublesome than I thought?"

»«»«»«

"And this is where you're going to stay." Temari spoke as she unlocked the door before opening it, and then she stepped aside. "I trust that you four don't mind staying together, but there are so many people who accepted to help us that we couldn't provide rooms for everyone."

"Arigatou, Temari, this is really cool!" Naruto exclaimed as he stepped inside the house, and slowly everyone followed him. The apartment was nothing spectacular, but it was still inviting with its two rooms, kitchen, living room and bathroom. "Man, I want the bed that's next to the window!"

"Tsk, yeah, whatever." Shikamaru muttered as he stepped away from the room he was going to share with Naruto, and walked to the room next to theirs were the girl's were. It seemed that the three of them were getting along, but Shikamaru wondered if everything would be that positive as time passed by. "Oi, Temari, what about you telling us where the hospital is?"

"Just stare through the window of the kitchen." Temari retorted without looking at him, and stuffing his hands into his pockets, Shikamaru turned on his heels and made his way towards the kitchen.

Thankfully the kitchen had enough space for at least three people to walk around without bumping into each other, while the table in the middle had four wooden chairs around it. With a bored sigh, Shikamaru made his way towards the window before looking through it; it was rather easy to spot the hospital from where he was; after all, it was as big as the hospital in Konoha, but its west wing was still under construction.

As he continued to stare at the hospital, Shikamaru took a cigarette, and lightened it up after pressing it to his lips. Then, with a quick movement of his wrist, the boy opened the window so that the smoke would not hover in the kitchen. There was this feeling on his gut that Shikamaru just could not ignore…a feeling that was telling him something was going to happen sooner or later.

"Shikamaru-san." a voice called-out suddenly, and Shikamaru looked at the door of the kitchen only to see Hana standing there, "As a doctor, I really should think you should stop smoking, or at least reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke per day."

"Tsk, don't worry about me dying from this." Shikamaru replied with a small shrug, but Hana simply continued looking at him. "What did Naruto do this time?"

"Err…nothing that I know of. I just wanted to inform you that Temari-san left." Hana started after a pause, and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her. "She told us to be at the hospital at seven, but that you and Naruto-san can go sooner if you want to help the carpenters."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Shikamaru muttered without giving it much of a thought, and Hana bowed before walking away. Then, Shikamaru sighed, and brought the cigarette back to his lips; yep, the feeling was still there.

How troublesome…

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Melody of the Night

**Disclaimer:** _Naruto_ belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, but the plot and unknown character belong to me. Part of the lyrics in this chapter belong to _Amy Grant_ – River Lullaby.

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I want to thank **Terenin** _and_ **Brazilian Phoenix** for everything! Your support means a lot. I also want to leave here my appreciation to **jimmyrun**. Thanks everyone!

»«»«»«

**Chapter 3**

Melody of the Night

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!!"

A sigh left Shikamaru's lips when various copies of Naruto appeared only to scatter moments later, in order to help the rest of the carpenters. Personally, Shikamaru was not entirely sure if it was wise to let Naruto, of all people, help with the construction, but it was also true that the construction had to continue and they could not be picky in terms of who could work or not.

Besides, Naruto did have the energy that was needed in that kind of event, so Shikamaru knew better than complaining. However, those positive aspects still did not change Shikamaru's mind in terms of Naruto being a good carpenter.

"Well, if I knew you kids were this anxious to work, I would have called you a long time ago." Kankurou commented after whistling in surprise, but it was then that he noticed the number of Narutos that were helping out. "Hum…using ninja techniques I see…"

"That's Naruto for you, I'm sure he's just finding a way of sneaking away." Shikamaru commented as he hold a cigarette with his lips, and then he sighed. "That guy is so troublesome…"

"Well, at least his copies are helping out." Kankurou retorted, "Temari took those friends of yours to the hospital, and I think they're going to stay there the whole day. And Gaara also mentioned something about coming here later today."

"Eh? Man this is such a drag, if the Kazekage is coming here, that means we'll have to hurry." Shikamaru muttered before sighing again before lightning his cigarette. "This sucks man, I didn't come here to do this."

"Yeah, I was told you don't like to work." Kankurou commented, and Shikamaru sighed again. "Just stop sighing like that, you sound like a depressed old man. What about starting to work in order to feel the blood pumping? I'm positive it won't hurt."

"Tsk, whatever." Shikamaru muttered as he exhaled some smoke, and slowly he turned around in order to study what he was supposed to do. And, of course, when he saw that only the skeleton of the west wing was up, he sighed again. "Man, this sucks…"

At same time Kankurou informed Shikamaru about what should be done, Temari was showing the hospital to Hinata and Hana. All wings, except for the west one, had already been made and filled with the latest technology. Unfortunate, since Sunagakure did not have many medicals despite of the great development the village was under, it was becoming harder and harder to take care of the patients.

"So, do you want to stay in the same department?" Temari questioned suddenly, making the other two girls stop a few meters away from the doors that would lead to the nursery. "We had some requests from medicals asking to be put in the departments they feel more at easy such as pediatric and nursery."

"Please, you know better than us where we're needed." Hinata spoke, and Temari looked at her before glancing at Hana, who nodded in agreement. "We here to help you, not to request things. This is our mission."

"Of course, but you can still make yourself comfortable." Temari retorted, her hand resting on her hip, and the two other girls blushed slightly. "But fine, whatever, last time I checked we needed two medical-nin who can handle any kind of pressure. Do you believe you can handle it?"

"Hai." both Hinata and Hana replied in chorus at same time they nodded, and Temari smirked at them. Both of them looked really shy and quiet, but there was something hidden in the depths of their eyes that made Temari believe that they would actually do something good.

"So, do you want to stick around?" Temari asked as she lead the other two kunoichi to the nursery. "I would go help the guys, but they just hate when a woman shows up to give them a hand, and actually do a better work than them so…"

"Can you tell us more about Sunagakure, Temari-san?" Hana questioned suddenly as the three of them stepped inside the nursery, and Hinata smiled warmly when various heads turned to them.

"First of all, drop the _san_ thing, it makes me sound old." Temari started, her hand on her hip, and Hana nodded in return while Hinata walked towards some of the children that were playing with some toys, and crouched beside them. "Secondly, what the heck are you doing here if you don't know anything about this village?"

"Well, Tsunade-sama thought it would be good for us – Hinata and I – to leave Konoha for a while." Hana started, smiling as her eyes scanned the nursery, children playing around her. "Secondly, Shikamaru-san never actually found the time to tell me about Sunagakure because he was always in missions and I was at the hospital…"

"So, you're friends of the lazy guy?" Temari questioned suddenly, and Hana glanced at her before nodding. "I imagine the friendship, but fine, I can tell you about my village during lunch. What do you say?"

"Thank you." was all Hana had time to say because a little girl suddenly pulled her sleeve, and the brunette crouched down. "Oh, hello."

With a sigh, Temari looked from Hana to Hinata, who was currently laughing with a small group of children, completely unaware of her surroundings. Perhaps it would be good to have those two around, but then again, Temari knew she could not be too certain about it.

»«»«»«

"Wait! No, don't put it there!"

"What are you doing? That's not the right angle!"

"I said five inches! This is eight inches! You can't put it th-No, wait! Don't!"

"No, put that harmer aside! No, wait, my fingers, I-_OW!_"

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered under his breath as he sweatdropped, the shouts of various carpenters filling the air. "I should have known Naruto only meant trouble…"

"So, how's it going?" Kankurou asked suddenly, as he appeared from behind Shikamaru holding a good amount of wooden planks over his shoulder, and Shikamaru sighed. "I was just informed that we must have this wing ready in less than two months."

"You know, this is already a drag without having any schedule." Shikamaru started, his eyes never leaving what he was doing. "You tell Naruto that we have less than two months to finish this, and the whole place will fall apart."

"If you know that, then why aren't you giving us a hand?" Kankurou questioned as he rested his empty hand on his hip, and Shikamaru tsk'ed still without looking at the Sand ninja.

"I'm busy."

"Oh, I can see that." Kankurou retorted sarcastically, his eyes turning to the uncheckered board in front of Shikamaru, and then he turned to the old man that was sitting across the genius. "Your work sure is painful."

"I always described myself as a lazy guy." Shikamaru spoke before he moved a piece, and then he stuffed his hand into his pocket before taking a packet of cigarette from inside. "And I win."

"Child, you sure know how to play Shogi." the old man started as he stared surprised at the board before turning to Shikamaru. "Can we play again? I'm sure I'll be able to beat you at same point."

"Well, I'll leave you to your hard work." Kankurou spoke suddenly, and Shikamaru nodded as he lightened a cigarette.

"Man, I seriously don't know why you don't like this kind of stuff." Naruto commented as he appeared from out-of-nowhere, next to Shikamaru, his tanned face now rather reddened. "With a little of muscle, girls would fall at your feet."

"Like they do with you?" Shikamaru questioned in a bored tone without taking his cigarette from his lips, and Naruto chuckled while the old man continued to put the pieces into their right places. "What do you want?"

"Well, it's kind of lunch time, and I'm starving, so I was wondering if we could have a break." Naruto started, scratching the back of his head in nervousness, and Shikamaru sighed as he glanced at the boy by the corner of his eyes.

"You mean that the workers don't want to have you around, so you decided to have lunch." Shikamaru stated, and he tsk'ed when Naruto sent him a stunned look. "Your copies disappeared, so it's not that difficult to understand what happened. I saw that coming; with you, things just had to be troublesome."

"You know, all I asked was if you wanted to come eat something." Naruto pointed out before coughing when smoke reached his nose. "And will you drop that damn thing? I don't want to die sooner because of you. And remember, Temari doesn't like smokers."

"This is such a drag…" Shikamaru muttered as he put the cigarette back to his lips, and Naruto sweatdropped at his words. However, before something else could be said, someone called Naruto's name.

"Hinata! Thank heavens you're here! Save me from this chimney!" Naruto exclaimed dramatically, making the Hyuuga heiress blush at his words while Hana simply smiled slightly at the two of them. "And Hana, you're a doctor. Tell this guy that smoking should be illegal!"

"Believe me when I say I have already tried." Hana replied with a very small shrug, and Naruto dropped his head before looking at Hinata, and smile broadly at her when he noticed she was still blushing. "We came here to ask if you want to go eat something. Temari said that she had to go take care of some things…"

"Finally someone who understands my feelings!" Naruto exclaimed happily before running to the girls, and squeeze his way so that he was in the middle of them. "C'mon, you lazy guy, leave the game for a while, and come with us. Apparently Temari is not going to make us company."

"Anou, Naruto-kun, why do you keep mentioning Temari every time Shikamaru is around?" Hinata questioned suddenly as she looked at the boy standing beside her, who laughed wickedly.

"Well, you see, Shikamaru here kind of has a cru-"

"Man, this sucks." Shikamaru spoke suddenly before excusing himself, and slowly he stood up from the wooden chair as he turned to his friends, the cigarette still on his lips. "You want to eat, right? Then stop being so troublesome, and lead the way."

"I knew he was going to interrupt me." Naruto spoke in a low tone so that only Hinata and Hana heard him, and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow when he saw the shy smile forming on Hinata's face. "But sure, lets eat! Where's the ramen restaurant?"

"Eh? Naruto-kun, Kankurou-san said there are no ramen restaurants in Sunagakure." Hinata pointed out in her usual calm voice, and Naruto grew tense. "Naruto-kun?"

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered as he walked towards his friends before throwing the cigarette to the ground, and step on it. "Next time he asks about ramen, lie to him, Hinata; it's becoming too troublesome to see him going into shock every time someone remembers him that there are no ramen restaurants around here."

"H-Hai." Hinata whispered as she nodded.

»«»«»«

He was like a shadow, walking through the streets of Sunagakure, his spiky hair being kissed by the warm breeze. His village had nothing to do with Konohagakure, he had to admit; while Konoha was filled with trees, fresh breezes and laughter, Suna was empty of nature, surrounded by mountains that seemed to drink away all colours. There was laughter, he knew, but it seemed different.

It was always different.

With steady steps he continued making his way through the almost empty street, his cyan coloured eyes never losing their coldness. That was something he had never been able to change; his strong posture made him look like a heartless person, but he knew that it was all connected with his childhood. Perhaps, if people had not hated him and seen him as a monster, he would have been able to grow up like his siblings…to grow up as social as his siblings…

But then again, it did not matter. According to Kankurou he was changing; slowly, in a solid pace, and his brother often reminded him that people were not expecting him to change overnight. Not only that, but Kankurou often mentioned that people were starting to look at him differently. Not everyone, after all there were memories difficult to forget, but some were finally looking at him and see him not as a monster but as Sabaku no Gaara, the Kazekage of Sunagakure.

It did not take long for Gaara to reach the gates that lead to the hospital, but he stopped his tracks when his eyes found the main doors of the building. Slowly, his face still emotionless as always, Gaara gazed at the west wing, observing how the skeleton was slowly disappearing behind planks. Everyone who had accepted to come help Sunagakure to develop was indeed doing a great job, and according to Kankurou, Gaara was supposed to do something after everything was done.

Something like a ceremony or something along those lines; Gaara was not certain.

"Hey, be careful!" someone shouted right when Gaara was about to make his way towards the main doors of the hospital, but he was forced to stop when a red ball rolled through the ground, and hit his feet. "Aww, I told you not to hit so hard!"

"Gomen!" a second voice shouted back, and Gaara looked to his side only to see a group of children playing inside the gates, three of them staring at a little girl, no older than ten. "I'll get it!"

Before Gaara knew it, the girl had spun around, her cobalt hair pulled into a high ponytail, and with a timid smile she gazed at him. She looked rather uncomfortable about approaching him, but she still did it, her eyes locked with the ground.

"Hum…excuse me, sir, I err…can I have my ball back?" the girl asked nervously, and Gaara stared down at the ball that was still resting on his feet before bending down to get it. Then, still without saying anything, he handed the ball to the girl. "Arigatou, and sorry again."

"…It's fine." Gaara replied, but he blinked when the girl suddenly smiled at him before bowing in respect, and then turn around only to run back to her friends while holding the ball against her chest. Perhaps that generation was not going to fear him like his and his father's generations did.

After a few moments just watching the children playing, Gaara crossed his arms against his chest, and made his way inside the hospital. As expected, there were two receptionists working behind the reception counter, taking care of documents and fillers. Both of them immediately stood up when they saw him, and bowed in respect as Gaara simply made his way towards the hall that would take him to the rest of the hospital.

Kankurou had told him that before going to observe the west wing, it would be better if Gaara went to check all the other wings. Not that it was necessary, especially because there were patients inside, but Kankurou had informed him that it would be better if the Kazekage was aware of how the hospital was functioning.

In silence, Gaara made his way through the halls; on contrary of most places in Sunagakure, the main colour of that building was white. Why it had to be white was beyond his comprehension, but Gaara knew better than meditate over such futile question. Besides, he had better things to do, like observing how people worked there and if everything was working accurately.

After all, one of his secret dreams was to improve and protect Sunagakure.

Still with a steady pace, Gaara stepped inside another empty hall, but he blinked when he noticed that the walls were no longer white. Instead, every wall had paints that went from trees to butterflies, flowers, and there was also one bright sun on the wall on the left. There were birds crossing the clear blue sky, but some clouds had also been painted.

That was the east wing, which meant that was the section where the children were.

_Hush now, my baby_

_Be still, love, don't cry_

_Sleep like you're rocked by the stream_

_Sleep and remember this river lullaby_

_And I'll be with you when you dream_

_Here in my arms_

_Safe from all harm_

_Holding you, I'm smiling, too_

Gaara stopped his tracks when the voice echoed through the hall, coming from one of the doors on both sides of him. It was a female voice, rather strong and yet gentle that seemed to carry some sort tranquillity. The lyric itself appeared to be peaceful enough to touch a child's heart.

_Sleep and remember_

_This river lullaby_

_And I'll be with you when you dream_

Slowly, his boots no longer making any sound against the floor, Gaara made his way towards the closest door. Due to the echo it was a bit difficult to be certain about the place where the source of such voice was, but before Gaara could look through the first, slightly opened, door a voice called him.

"Gaara, I was looking everywhere for you."

Turning to his side, Gaara saw Temari approaching him, her hands on her hips while her fan was, as always, strapped to her back. Temari was the one with whom Gaara was still failing to communicate with; Kankurou often said it was probably due to the fact she was a girl, but sometimes Gaara felt as if he should try to talk with his sister.

"Listen, Kankurou and I were thinking about doing some sort of thing for the workers and their families." Temari continued as she stopped one arm-length away from Gaara, who simply continued to stare at her. "We were thinking about some sort of dinner, just to make them feel welcome in Suna. What do you think?"

"…It's a good idea." Gaara said shortly as he nodded, and Temari smiled slightly at him. ""Will you and Kankurou take care of everything?"

"Oh yes, don't worry about that; Kankurou is also thinking about talking with the Konoha ninja to see if they want to give us a hand." Temari started, gesticulating with her right hand while her left one was still resting on her hip. "Well, at least Naruto, because Kankurou received a couple of complains from the workers."

"If you think they can help, then talk to them." Gaara replied with his usual emotionless tone, and Temari sighed at his words. "Do you need anything else?"

"Well, if you don't mind, I have one advice for you." the woman started, and Gaara turned fully to her as he waited for Temari to continue. "I know it's not easy for you, but at least try to smile a little. Either that or relax for a bit; you should go easy with your job too; you know that now you need to calm down."

"…Fine." Gaara spoke after a long silence, and Temari smiled warmly at him; that was something that still made Gaara feel slightly uncomfortable, after all, he remembered quite well when all his siblings did was protect him because they feared him. "I'll see what I can do."

"Great, I'll see you later, then, to give you the latest reports." Temari said before bowing slightly in respect at same time Gaara nodded, and after one last smile, the girl walked away.

When he was finally alone, Gaara turned to the doors beside him, his ears trying to catch the voice that had been singing before. When nothing broke the silence of that wing, Gaara simply pressed his arms against his chest, and continued with his tour.

However, when Gaara was just about to walk through the doors that lead him out of that wing, a painful stab on his chest made the boy stop his tracks. He seriously did not understand why his chest was hurting; ever since he had lost Shukaku that his heart had been bothering him. At the beginning the pains had been nothing but an annoying tingling, but now the pain was increasing and it was beginning to bother Gaara for real.

But for some weird reason, Gaara also felt as if the answer to that problem was going to arrive soon.

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Tangled Paths

**Disclaimer:** So, I own nothing except the plot and the unknown characters.

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I want to thank **Terenin**, **FreeTheKyuubi**, **star's dreams**, **Jojibear**, **SGCred** _and _**Mae-ta** for everything. You guys rule! I also want to leave here my appreciation to **ALIsmile**. Thank you all!

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**Chapter 4**

Tangled Paths

The sea breeze was playing with his spiky hair, the mask covering his nose, but the salty scent of the ocean was still soaring around him. The sky was clear, and there was not even one cloud offering a shade to the earth. That place always seemed to emanate a wave of peace and tranquillity, and he guessed that was why she liked that place so much, especially because it was the opposite of her personality.

However, despite the fact that place resembled to paradise, he was still unable to move forward. He knew what had made him return to that place, but despite of the urgency of the mission, he still was not sure if he should go visit her or not.

"_Kakashi, you must leave at once. This is a serious warning, and you know this is not the time for your personal problems to get on the way of the mission." Tsunade started, holding a document, but the Jounin did not say anything. "I understand you may be reluctant to do this, but this message is disturbing. You must go check this out; I already told Jiraiya to go to the Country of Earth."_

"_I will do it." Kakashi started in a determined tone, and Tsunade stared at him in the eye. "Akatsuki is a subject that mustn't be ignored. My personal problems will not get on the way." _

"But you still need to go ask her to go with you." the Hokage started, and Kakashi nodded. "I tried to find someone else to accompany you, but Kurenai is in no condition to make part of this, and Gai left with an ANBU team to go gather more information about what's going on."

"_I will get her, and then we'll go to Sunagakure." Kakashi spoke after a short silence, and Tsunade rested her chin on her hand, her elbow now on her desk. "We will keep an eye on Naruto and the others. I'm positive she won't refuse this." _

"Last time you were sure about something concerning her, you were wrong." Tsunade pointed out with a straight face, and Kakashi sweatdropped. "But, like I said, we can't be picky, and this is not the time to go around the bush. Your mission, Kakashi, is to go find her, and go directly to Suna. Sakura will meet you later."

"Hai."

Well, like most people said; it was easier said than done.

As he sweatdropped, Kakashi looked over his shoulder only to sigh; now that was a moment of déjà vu. There were weapons stuck in the ground just behind him, huge holes not too far from his location, and some trees had fallen on the way. Marks of explosions could be seen in others trees, most of them no longer with leaves or even standing properly.

"Some things will never change…" Kakashi muttered to himself before stepping out from his secret spot, and his boot immediately connected with sand. The same white sand he had seen two years ago, the calm waves rolling over it gently…

"I say; what the heck are you doing here?" a voice questioned suddenly, and Kakashi turned around slowly only to regret his actions immediately; how on earth could she even wonder why guys stared at her? "Well?"

"I came here on a mission." Kakashi spoke after a few seconds staring at the woman's black leather pants that hugged her waist just nicely even though she was using the usual black sleeveless tank top, zipped up to her neck, with a dark green tank top underneath. "And you have to come with me."

"Ah, of course, why on earth did I even ask?" the woman asked as she put a lock of teal coloured hair behind her ear, and Kakashi mentally sighed; that was going to be difficult. "What was that you didn't understand this time, Hatake?"

"Mesi, once again, this isn't about us; Konoha needs your help." Kakashi started, turning to the woman, his eyes locked with hers. "Naruto needs you, and I know that despite of everything, you want to help him."

"Yes, Naruto, of course…" Mesi muttered under her breath as she crossed her arms against her chest, and then she arched an eyebrow as she continued to stare at Kakashi. "What happened this time? The guy actually got influenced by you and Jiraiya, and became a complete pervert?"

"I told you, I'm not a pervert."

"I guess that's why you checked my clothing before looking at me in the eye."

"Mesi, seriously, I don't have the time for this."

"Sure you don't, I'm sure that in that pouch of yours is another of those disgusting books you like so much to read. So, feel free to leave, I won't stop you."

"This time I won't leave without you coming with me." Kakashi replied, and Mesi narrowed her eyes before stepping closer to him so that they were one arm length away from each other. "You have to come with me."

"You didn't stop me from leaving two years ago, what makes you think you have the right to make me go now?" the woman asked as she started poking Kakashi on the chest. "Don't you start ordering me around, Hatake, much less when you haven't seen me for two years."

"Mesi, will you stop behaving as if you're not going to accept this mission?" Kakashi asked suddenly, and Mesi stared at his eye with a blank expression. "I know that Naruto caught your attention when you were in Konoha, so please, just come."

"You didn't…" Mesi started, but she closed her mouth before stepping backwards, Kakashi watching her in silence. "You can't just show up at my doorstep and behave as if nothing happened, Hatake. Yes, I admit, Naruto did catch my attention, but things don't work that way."

"Darn it, Mesi, what do I have to do to make you come?" Kakashi asked, a hint of anger in his usual calm voice, but the woman just glanced at the before allowing her eyes to slip to the waves not to far from them.

"You didn't do it when you should have, so now it's too late." Mesi whispered, still watching the waves rolling over the sand before returning to the clear water of the ocean, but then she turned to Kakashi again. "What happened this time that the great Konohagakure was not able to handle?"

"It's Akatsuki." Kakashi started, and he watched Mesi's eyes narrow slightly. "They're after Naruto. That's why I came here; I know Naruto caught your eye when you were in Konoha, and right now we need everybody's help."

"Naruto or the Nine Tails?" Mesi questioned suddenly, but Kakashi simply continued to stare at her. "I promised myself that I was going to break with all the bonds that connected me to the Hidden Leaf Village."

"I'm sure you did, but I guess that one of the beauty things about being Naruto, is about drawing everyone to that village whether they like it or not." Kakashi retorted, and Mesi sighed as the man rested a hand on his hip. "So?"

"Tsk, whatever." Mesi muttered under her breath, and Kakashi raised an eyebrow, making the woman roll her eyes. "Let me go change, and then we can leave."

"Why? You look fine." Kakashi commented before he could stop himself, and Mesi twitched before walking to his side, and smack him on the head. "Ow! That was a compliment, you know?"

"Pervert."

»«»«»«

With a content sigh, Hinata continued preparing breakfast, a white apron protecting her heavy coat as she moved around in the kitchen. She knew that both Naruto and Shikamaru had arrived late because of the construction, and even though they should already be up, Hinata simply did not have the courage to go wake them up. After all, she knew that none of them was used to that kind of effort, and even though one week had already passed, Hinata was positive that the two boys – Shikamaru more than Naruto – were still trying to get used to the purpose of the mission.

Slowly Hinata took the steamed rice, and put it over the wooden table before doing the same with the miso soup. Everything else had already been prepared, and was now set on the table, all that was needed now was for the hungry stomachs to wake everybody else in that small apartment.

"Hmm, smells good…" a tired voice spoke suddenly, and Hinata looked up from the tamagoyaki she had prepared to the open door of the kitchen only to feel blood rushing up to her cheeks. Her heart was already beating painfully against her rib cage, and before she knew it, Hinata started twiddling her fingers. A habit it had taken her so long to let go…

But then again, what else could she do? Oh, of course, she had yet to faint, but Hinata guessed that there had to be a reason for her still to be standing, her blood still rushing up to her face, neck and ears; and that reason was probably the fact that a half-awake Naruto was standing by the door, rubbing his eyes, wearing nothing more than a pair of pyjama's pants.

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata muttered under her breath, feeling her cheeks still heating up, her eyes locked with her twiddling fingers. She was starting to feel light-headed, her legs starting to become jelly, but before Hinata could continue, she felt a warm hand against her forehead.

"Eh, Hinata, are you sick?" Naruto questioned, and Hinata looked up, feeling herself blushing ten shades of red when she noticed how close they were. "You look all red, and you're really hot."

Hinata's heart stopped beating at those words, and all the girl saw afterwards was darkness.

"Oi, Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed as he caught the girl in his arms, and he stared confusedly at Hinata's still red face. Slowly, Naruto cradled Hinata in his arms, and touched her forehead again; she was still warm. "Damn, you really need to stop doing this around me."

"Tsk, what did you do this time?" a voice questioned suddenly, and Naruto turned to his side only to see Shikamaru behind him, fully dressed, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"I didn't do anything! She saw me, and then she went red, and then I checked her temperature. I said she was hot, and then she fainted!" Naruto rambled at full speed, and Shikamaru stared at him for a moment before sighing. "Seriously, she hasn't fainted around me for like…well, two years! Why would she do it now?"

"Troublesome…"

"Where's Hana? She has to check Hinata now; if she's sick, she has to go to the hospital immediately." Naruto started before looking around, Shikamaru watching him with an eyebrow raised. "Hana!"

"Yes?" a voice asked suddenly from behind Shikamaru, and Naruto turned around at lightning speed when he spot the other young woman. "Did something happen?"

"Shikamaru, move so that Hana can check on Hinata!" Naruto ordered, and as he muttered something about everything being a drag Shikamaru stepped aside, allowing Hana to see what was going on. "Please, help her. Do we have to take her to the hospital?"

"What happened?" Hana asked as she rushed to Naruto, and stared down at the girl in his arm. Almost immediately, Hana rested a hand on Hinata's forehead while listening to Naruto telling her what he had just explained to Shikamaru. "Oh, so she fainted when you said she was….hot?"

"Yeah, I honestly didn't understand." Naruto replied, and Hana looked over her shoulder at Shikamaru, who sighed when he stared back at her, and then the brunette chuckled. "What? What happened to Hinata?"

"She's fine, don't worry." Hana started as she turned to the counter, and after grabbing a cup, she filled it with water, and then Hana turned to her friends. "Naruto, listen to me, every time Hinata faints around you for no reason, just do this."

As he nodded, Naruto watched Hana dip her fingers on the water before raising her hand, and start throwing the water to Hinata's face. For some reason that looked weird, but after a few seconds doing the same action over-and-over again, Hinata did start to stir.

"Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed happily when he saw the girl's eyelids flutter open until she was staring at him. "Yatta! I was really worried about you! Seriously, you haven't fainted in front of me for so long, I was worried."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered before opening her eyes wide in shock when she noticed that he was holding her in bridal-style and that she was leaned against his bear chest. "I…I…"

"Naruto, please put her down." Hana instructed after putting the glass on the counter, and Naruto did what he was told. "Hinata, please, don't faint now. We need to get ready to go to the hospital."

"Tsk, you should get dressed before eating." Shikamaru commented suddenly from his spot, and Naruto stared at his friends only to notice that he was indeed the only one who was still dressed in his pyjama's. "Stop being so troublesome, there are women in here."

"Hai, I'm going! Don't you dare to start eating with me!" Naruto exclaimed before rushing out of the kitchen, and when they were alone, Hinata rested a hand against her chest, feeling her heart beating at full speed.

"Tsk, one day he'll stop being so troublesome." Shikamaru stated, and Hinata looked at him only to blush faintly when she noticed that he was staring back at her, and beside her Hana started to giggle.

»«»«««

A groan escaped Gaara's lips, and slowly he dropped his hand on the desk, allowing the pen to fall from his fingers. Closing his eyes, Gaara turned his chair to the side so that he could feel the warm wind that was coming inside through the open windows. That was one of those moments of peace that Gaara always enjoyed, but that time was different; the peace that surrounded him only seemed to increase the pain in his chest.

After loosing Shukaku, Gaara had believed that he would be able to change, but nothing had happened. In fact, aside from his slightly-changed personality, Gaara was still pretty much the same; he was still seen as the Ultimate Weapon…he was still feared…he was still terrified about sleeping…

Silently, Gaara turned his head to the side as he opened his eyes, and stared outside. No one ever bothered him unless it was extremely necessary, but sometimes Gaara did hope that someone could at least try to approach him. To come close to him, and not fear being in his presence.

Shaking his head slightly, Gaara stood up, and made his way out of his office. He had already taken care of all documents, and he could still recall Kankurou telling him to go check the hospital for a second time. According to his brother, despite of Naruto's presence, the construction was going rather well, and half of the skeleton had already disappeared behind planks, cement and bricks. Temari was also there, keeping an eye on the medical-nin rather than helping out with the construction, so Gaara guessed it was only polite for him to show up as well.

How long it took him to reach the hospital was unknown to Gaara; he was too lost in his thoughts to even acknowledge how people stopped whatever they were doing just to watch him. However, Gaara did not look surprise either when he found himself staring at the main doors of the hospital.

After a short moment debating about what he should do, Gaara decided to go check the west wing first. Last time he had been inside the hospital, he had heard that haunting voice, which still did not have a body, and Gaara simply did not want to hear that song again.

"Gaara!" someone shouted suddenly, and the young Kazekage looked away from the entrance of the hospital only to see Kankurou walking towards him, carrying a bunch of planks over his shoulder while he was holding a bag with his other hand. "Finally decided to leave your cocoon, I see."

"Is that alright with you?" Gaara questioned as his brother stopped in front of him, grinning. "You told me I should come here."

"Yeah, sure, you're always welcome, you know that." Kankurou started, before motioning for Gaara to walk with him with a quick movement of his head. "Naruto is finally learning how to work in a construction, and Shikamaru is being the lazy ass he likes to be, but he works from time-to-time. Everyone else is giving their best to help out."

"Hai."

"Say, what about you giving us a hand?" Kankurou questioned suddenly, and Gaara stared at him not really understanding what he meant. "I mean, just walk around the construction, and speak with the workers if you must. I'm sure they would feel honoured if you encouraged their work."

"You think I can do it?"

"Of course, you are the Kazekage after all." Kankurou replied as he stopped next to a wooden table where other workers were preparing the wood, and he put the planks and bag down. "I can go with you, if you prefer."

"No, that's alright." Gaara replied, and Kankurou shrugged at his words before turning to the workers, and start talking to them about what they were supposed to do.

Slowly Gaara turned to the construction, and started walking around, making sure not to get on the way of the workers. Some of the older people waved or greeted him, making Gaara glance at them and nod back. What else could he do? He was _not_ as social as his siblings, and nods seemed to work well because everyone he greeted back just smiled and continued working.

The construction was going very well; the schedule had been extended, but it seemed that everyone was enjoying helping out so much that the skeleton was half way to be concealed. At that, Gaara allowed the corner of his lips to curl up into a very small smirk.

"_Look out!"_ someone shouted suddenly, and Gaara turned to his side when the sound of planks falling reached his ears, and he saw a good amount of wooden planks falling down from the roof. And it was then that Gaara noticed the child standing next to the wall, looking completely oblivious of what was going, not noticing the planks that would fall on her.

"Suna no Tate!" Gaara spoke suddenly, and sand automatically surrounded the girl like a cocoon, hardening to the point when it became stronger than steel. As soon as the girl disappeared inside the sand shield, the planks fell over it, everyone watching in horror what was happening.

It was only after making sure it was safe that Gaara allowed the sand shield to disappear, revealing a confused face of an cobalt-blue haired girl. Her eyes, round forest green colored, immediately turned to Gaara when he stopped in front of her. However, before something could be said, tears started to fill the child's eyes, and she immediately started to cry.

Now that was a situation Gaara was not used to. Sure, workers were now around him and the child, trying to calm the little girl down, but Gaara simply continued to watch everyone with a blank expression, his arms crossed against his chest. The girl was obviously crying because she was scared, and Gaara was positive she would stop soon.

"Someone get Mairi!" someone shouted suddenly, but Gaara ignored everyone as he gave the first step forward. For some reason watching that girl cry remembered him of his memories, although that girl had everyone around her when he had been utterly alone.

"Stop crying." Gaara spoke suddenly in his usual emotionless voice, and everyone looked at him while the little girl continued staring down, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You were protected, you should stop crying."

"Maiko!" someone shouted suddenly, and Gaara looked by the corner of his eyes to his side only to see a girl, as old as him, making her way towards the child. "Maiko, what are you doing here? I told you to stay at the hospital!"

"Onee-chan!" the little girl called-out, and Gaara only had time to acknowledge a long cobalt hair as the girl he had seen running embraced the crying child. As he watched those actions, Gaara felt a pain on his chest, but he managed to stop himself from cringing.

"Maiko, I told you not to come here." the older girl spoke as she let go of the child, now crouched on the ground; her voice was stern, but there a hint of worry was clear in her words.

"B-But I was bored, and I wanted to see you, and…he saved me!" the child, Maiko, exclaimed as she pointed at Gaara, who was still watching everything. "He made the sand move, onee-chan, and he protected me!"

"What?"

A new pain erupted from his chest when Gaara's eyes meet a pair of indigo ones, so dark as the night, but instead of words, a groan was all that escaped from the Kazekage's lips. He did not want to show any weakness, much less when the workers were still around him, but the pain was increasing…the pain resembled now to flames, consuming his flesh and bones.

"Onee-chan, what's wrong with him?" Maiko questioned, but instead of answering her, Mairi run to Gaara's side, and rested a hand on his shoulder before being forced to crouch on the ground since the Kazekage had fallen on his knees.

"Please, allow me to see what's wrong…" Mairi whispered, but Gaara was unable to hear her words since the pain on his chest was starting to consume all of his body. He was not even aware of the fact he was screaming in pain, his hand now grasping the front of his vest while his other one was holding his head.

Gaara also failed to hear Kankurou calling his name as darkness ultimately conquered his body.

**To Be Continued…**


	5. Oblivious Presence

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot and the unknown characters.

»«»«»«

I want to thank **SGCred**, **FreeTheKyuubi**, **star's dreams**, **Terenin** _and_ **Jojibear** for everything. You guys make everything worth it!

**Chapter 5**

Oblivious Presence

"Well, I prefer to be a proud guy to be a spoiled brat like you!"

"Conceited much? I called you _snobbish_ not proud! Do you even know the meaning of that word?"

"Dogs are known by their intelligence; you're the one who's too damn annoying!"

"_I'm_ annoying? Seriously, don't you ever look at the mirror? You're annoyance incarnated! No wonder you're a walking dim-witted boy!"

"Guys, c'mon, stop fighting."

"Tell this obnoxious brat to stop bothering me!"

"You're the one who's bothering me, you insolent cat!"

Akimichi Chouji sweatdropped and sighed as he continued watching Inuzuka Kiba and Anei Suki biting each other's head off. He knew that accepting to go on that mission with the two of them meant trouble, but just like Shikamaru would say, that was simply too troublesome. All they did was fight; even during a battle they behaved like cat and dog. And surprisingly it was the dog that often walked away, defeated but angry.

"Eh, if I didn't know better I would say there's _something_ that makes you two fight all the time." Yamanaka Ino spoke suddenly as she pretended to brush some dirt from her purple skirt. By then, both Kiba and Suki were staring at her, and Ino smirked, a knowing look on her features. "So, am I right?"

"Yeah, that _something_ is his stupidity." Suki retorted, her carmine coloured eyes glancing at Kiba as she crossed her arms against her chest. "He's such a pain in the ass. Seriously, I don't know how Akamaru puts up with you."

"Man and to think we have to deal with this during the entire night." Ino sighed as she stared at the small fire in front of her. "Why did Tsunade-sama have to put them in my team anyway? We're just looking for some herbs after all."

"I guess she just wanted us to stay away from the village for a while." Chouji commented as he continued to eat his potato chips, and Ino sighed again. "But remember that tomorrow we'll find the herbs, and then you'll be free of us."

"You're not the problem, Chouji, _they_ are." the girl retorted, shaking her head slightly before glancing at Kiba and Suki, who had their backs turned to each other. "At least it looks like they stopped."

_"Shhh."_

"Hey, don't you shush me." Ino snapped as Kiba sent her a warning look. "You're the one who doesn't stop fighting. And _that's_ annoying!"

"Shhh." Suki hissed suddenly, and this time even Chouji stopped eating. In silence, both Kiba and Suki stood up, their backs still to each other. "Someone's here…"

Almost immediately Ino and Chouji stood up, their senses now sharper as they scanned the area around them. However, since it was already dark, it was impossible for them to notice something in the shadows.

"Where is he?" Ino asked suddenly only to scream in surprise when Kiba and Suki threw two kunais at her. Ino, on the other hand, jumped to the ground before looking behind her, and notice that the kunais had hit the tree behind her.

"I can see your aim is still terrible." a male voice commented, a hint of amusement in the words, and everyone saw a person sitting on one of the lowest branches of the tree the kunais had hit. "Didn't they teach you anything in Konoha?"

"Who the hell are you?" Kiba inquired suddenly, Akamaru growling beside him, but Suki simply rose a hand to stop him from moving forward. "And what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What are you doing here?" Suki questioned suddenly as she continued staring at the coated person, and then she narrowed her eyes. "Keahi."

»«»«»«

With a tired sigh, Temari continued sitting on the dark red chair, both her arms and legs crossed while her dark eyes were locked with the doors just across her. Next to her, standing and leaning against the wall, was Kankurou, his attention also turned to the closed doors. No one else was there with them, mostly because the two siblings had stopped the ninja from Konoha to stay there with them.

That was a family problem, and even though they were aware that Naruto and his friends only wanted to help, the siblings knew they had to deal with the problem alone. They had to find out what was going on with Gaara unaided.

They _had_ to find out what was affecting their brother's life so greatly.

"Kankurou, what do you think?" Temari questioned suddenly, breaking the silence that was starting to irritate her, but none of them looked away from the doors. "I believe this has to do with Shukaku…losing it probably messed with Gaara's body."

"Hai, I agree, but if that's true, then there's nothing we can do." Kankurou started, also crossing his arms against his chest, and Temari finally glanced at him by the corner of her eyes. "If losing the monster is indeed affecting Gaara's body, then only the medical-nin can inform us of what's the best thing to be done. Not only that, but we also must convince Gaara that he needs help. And you know that's practically impossible."

"Still, we won't lose anything by giving it a try." Temari retorted as she turned her attention back to the closed doors. "We reached a stage that we once thought to be impossible. I'm sure that if we talk with Gaara, he'll understand our concern."

"Either that, or we can ask Naruto to talk to him." Kankurou spoke after a short silence, and his sister turned to him. "I know this is a family business, Temari, but you mustn't forget that it was Naruto who showed Gaara that people can change."

Temari was about to open her mouth to say that they did not need any help when the doors across her were opened, and a medical-nin stepped through them. She was from Kirigakure; her headband showed that much, but the frown on her face quickly made Temari and Kankurou tense up.

"Your brother is fine." the girl started, her long cobalt hair falling down her back, but there was something in her dark indigo eyes that did not convince the siblings. "He needs to rest though; I'm amazed to see that he actually managed to stand up."

"You know who we are, don't you?" Temari questioned, and the girl stared at her before nodding. "Then I'm sure you heard about what existed inside of Gaara, so tell me, does his condition have to do with it?"

"I must say that…" the girl stepped forward in order to close the doors behind her, and then she took a deep breath. "Your brother's body is trying to get used to his current condition. Growing up with two different chakras, and suddenly finding yourself living only with one has severe consequences."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kankurou questioned suddenly, as he narrowed his eyes slightly. "Gaara was fine until last month. He lost Shukaku months ago, so why only now?"

"I believe that it's only when your brother uses a higher amount of chakra that his body notices that something's lacking." the girl explained calmly. "I heard that he uses a constant amount of chakra to keep an armour of sand up. His body doesn't complain much about it, because that's Gaara-sama's chakra, but when he's obligated to use another jutsu…well, allow me to say that his body simply doesn't know where to get that extra chakra."

"I don't see why not; Gaara's chakra should be enough." Temari stated, her arms still pressed against her chest while Kankurou nodded in agreement.

"Listen, Gaara-sama's body uses his chakra to do basic things, including the armour." the girl started, as she gesticulated a bit. "But when Gaara-sama is forced to use jutsus, his body doesn't know what to do because his chakra is being used to keep the armour of sand up. Therefore, when Gaara-sama uses a jutsu, his body tries to compensate the lack of chakra, and that's what makes him experience such pains."

"What can we do to help him?" Kankurou questioned, and the girl glanced at him before sighing tiredly.

"You should convince him to slow down a bit; his body is still struggling to deal with the lack of chakra although physically Gaara-sama is fine. I would recommend some sleep as well. Despite of everything, he is exhausted, and that doesn't help in his condition."

"Can I go talk to him?" Kankurou questioned suddenly. "It won't take too long. I just want to make sure he's alright; Gaara isn't fond of hospitals, so…"

"Sure, go in, but please, make him rest."

»«»«»«

He just did not understand what was going on. For all he knew. Gaara was supposed to be free, and not chained to something that was supposed to be fixed. Everything was supposed to be alright, but then what had gone wrong?

_"ITAI!"_ Naruto cried in pain when he accidentally hit his fingers with the harmer instead of the nail he had been holding. "Ow, it hurts…"

"Yes, I can see the girls falling at your feet now." a bored voice commented, and Naruto looked to his side only to see Shikamaru, holding some blueprints. "You're so troublesome…"

"At least I'm doing something!" Naruto exclaimed, still holding his wounded fingers against his chest. "All I've seen you doing is carrying those things around. What about doing something that requires some muscle?"

"I always said this was too troublesome." Shikamaru started before glancing to his friend's red fingers. "Tsk, go see Hinata; being as troublesome as you are it would be a drag if you had broken some bones."

"I'm not stupid enough to break my own bones!" Naruto exclaimed, but the genius simply sighed, but then Naruto grew silent. "Eh, Shikamaru, do you…what do you think that happened to Gaara?"

"Hum? Probably nothing you should worry about; Gaara is too troublesome to get himself in danger." Shikamaru retorted, and Naruto raised an eyebrow before dropping his head with a sigh.

"Shikamaru, for you, everyone's troublesome." Naruto stated, and his friend shrugged. "So, you think I shouldn't worry about what happened to Gaara?"

"I say you can worry about him, but Gaara's not as troublesome as you, so I'm sure he'll be fine." Shikamaru replied, and Naruto blinked at the words. "Now, go see Hinata before you can't use that hand anymore."

"Yeah, I guess I should do that. I mean, it would be a drag not to be able to use my hand again ne?" not waiting to have a reply, Naruto turned on his heels, and run towards the hospital, not hearing Shikamaru sigh from behind him.

"Oi, sloth!" someone called-out, and Shikamaru sighed one more time as he glanced at the sky before turning over his shoulder. "I have to talk to you."

"What do you want?" Shikamaru questioned as he turned around to face Temari, who had a hand resting on her hip, a strange look on her face. "How's your brother?"

"Behaving like he's some sort of super hero." Temari retorted, but Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her tired tone. "Kankurou convinced him to take things slowly though, but I need your help."

"What?" Shikamaru blurred out, caught completely off-guard, and Temari twitched at his tone. "_You_ are actually asking for _my_ help?"

"Shut up, and listen." Temari snapped, now looking rather irritated, and Shikamaru rested his right hand on his hip since he was holding the blueprints with his left one. "This is something Kankurou thought about, so I'm not here by my own free will, got it?"

"Got it. Now stop being such a troublesome woman, and tell me what you want." Shikamaru retorted, and Temari rolled her eyes before informing the male ninja about the plan Kankurou had formed about the village and a festivity.

»«»«»«

Everything was tranquil; some workers had showed up with minor bruises, and some children had gone there as well for being unable to control their energy, but rather than that, nothing unusual had happened. All the other patients that had been admitted, were already stable and being watched.

Yes, it even felt good to be inside the room built so that nurses and doctors could rest during their pauses.

"_Hinata!"_

Or perhaps it was not going to be _that_ quiet…

Hana looked up from the book she had been reading when the door of the room swung open, revealing an anxious and distressed Naruto. As a reaction, Hana stood up from the dark-red sofa as she turned around, but she managed to stop herself from rushing to the blond when Hinata, who had been sleeping on a second sofa, got up at lightning speed.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed in surprise before approaching the boy with quick steps. "W-What happened?"

"I err...missed?" Naruto asked back with a sheepish smile on his face, and smiling to herself, Hana turned around and sat on the sofa again so that her back was turned to her friends.

She knew that Hinata was going to take care of Naruto's wound, and Hana was also positive that her female friend was already blushing while Naruto was failing to understand Hinata's behaviour. And that was why Hana loved to see them around each other; Naruto was simply too oblivious while Hinata was too obvious. And that made everything funnier, although there were moments when Naruto's unawareness did get to people's nerves.

At that, Hana could not help but giggle as she reached out for the book she had been reading; oh, she could only imagine when Hinata and Naruto would finally leave their shells, and not only be honest with each other but also with themselves. Of course that in Naruto's case it would probably take a while, but Hana was positive that it would be worth to wait.

Chuckling to herself, Hana opened the book, and stared down at it, but instead of reading the printed text, her eyes glanced at the notes written all over the pages. Some of those notes had been written by her, but others had been written by Shikamaru. Apparently he had not just asked for his father to find her book two years ago, but Shikamaru had also decided to read it and make some annotations himself.

Slowly Hana glanced at the notes written down by the lazy genius, and before she knew it, she was thinking about the two previous years. Like he had told her, Shikamaru always found time to teach her how to practice jutsus, and even though most of the times Hana did an awful job, Shikamaru never allowed her to give up.

And such had surprised Hana since Shikamaru did got bothered most of the times, while in others he behaved as if he was not present at all. At the beginning Hana tried to take profit of those absences to walk away, feeling pretty much like a failure, but every time Shikamaru would stop her from giving the first step that would take her away from him.

_In life, nothing good comes out of hurrying _Shikamaru would often tell Hana, when she tried to explain that he was simply wasting time with her. And as time continued to pass by, Hana found herself believing in his words, especially when she did start noticing some changes in herself.

"Thanks Hinata, I would be lost without you!" Hana heard Naruto exclaim, and she smiled to herself as she finally started reading the book.

"You're welcome, Naruto-kun."

Slowly Hana glanced over her shoulder only to see Naruto holding Hinata close to him, the indigo-blue haired girl looking like a tomato even though a dreamy look was on her face. Then, as she turned to the book, Hana could not help but chuckle to herself.

Yes, some things were so densely obvious, and it seemed that they would continue to be for a long time.

**To Be Continued…**


	6. Haunting Secrets

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto_, but allow me to own the plot and unknown characters.

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I want to thank **emhunter, Brazilian Phoenix, star's dreams, Jojibear, Terenin** _and_ **SGCred** for everything guys. I hope I will never disappoint you!

»«»«»«

**Chapter 6**

Haunting Secrets

Silently Gaara made his way through the small park, where children could be seen playing in the sand, swings or with a football ball. That park did hold many painful memories, but it was also a place that Gaara enjoyed to visit in order to clear his mind. After all, through his agonizing memoirs he could find out what to change in order to improve every plan for the future.

Crossing his arms against his chest, Gaara stopped his tracks when something caught his attention. Often teachers from the school would take their students out to that park in order to allow them to practice with long-range weapons, and apparently that was one of those days.

Inside Gaara was content to see that more children were being in rolled in the school; two years ago there were no more than three classes, but now it was around ten. Which was already an achievement to the Hidden Village of Sand.

"Look out!"

Still with a blank expression on his face, Gaara looked at what was ahead of him, and blinked when he saw the football ball coming towards him, ready to hit his face. Effortlessly Gaara rose a hand, and grabbed the ball before it could hit his nose, and a wave of '_wow'_ and _'wicked!'_ filled Gaara's ears.

"That was a great catch!" one of the children exclaimed in awe, but before Gaara could even move he saw someone run towards him, and before he knew it, he was staring at a pair of familiar forest-green eyes.

Was it just him or he was encountering that girl everywhere he went?

"Gaara-sama, can you…hand the ball back?" Maiko asked suddenly, and Gaara simply nodded before handing the said ball to her. "Arigatou, and sorry for the trouble."

"…It's alright." Gaara replied, but he blinked when the girl smiled widely at him, revealing her missing front teeth.

"I also want to thank you for saving my life, Gaara-sama." Maiko continued, but Gaara just continued to stare at her with his emotionless expression. "Onee-chan said that I should thank you."

"Your…onee-chan?" Gaara questioned, only to press his arms harder against his chest when the little girl nodded enthusiastically at him.

"Onee-chan took care of you when you were at the hospital." Maiko explained quickly before looking over her shoulder when another child called her name. After waving, Maiko turned to Gaara, and bowed. "Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Gaara-sama."

With those words, Maiko turned around, and rushed to her friends before kicking the ball. For a long moment, Gaara just watched the children playing football before deciding that it was time to return to his work. No matter what Kankurou or Temari said, he was the Kazekage, and he had obligations towards Sunagakure.

"Oh, Gaara-sama."

That voice was extremely familiar; it was strong and yet gentle, and for some reason it made Gaara remember the female voice that he had heard echoing through the halls of the hospital.

"How are you feeling, Gaara-sama?"

Slowly the young man turned around, his arms still pressed against his chest while he continued to emanate a sense of security and danger. That was another thing that Gaara had failed to change, but it was not as if he wanted to anyway.

And then his eyes meet a pair of dark-indigo ones.

"…Well." was all that escaped Gaara's lips when he turned fully so that he was facing the medical-nin that had seen him in his most vulnerable condition; and Gaara still hated to think about that moment.

"Your brother told me he was going to take care of you, but I still hope you go to the hospital for another check up." the girl continued as she bowed in respect, but Gaara could not help but feel surprised about her easiness around him. "I was told you don't like hospitals, but as the Kazekage, I believe you know how important it is."

"Yes."

"Well, forgive me for bothering you, Gaara-sama, but I just wanted to tell you another thing." the girl quickly added, but she stopped, waiting for Gaara to give her the permission to continue; which he ended up doing by nodding. "Thank you for saving Maiko, I have already lectured her about not wandering through the construction again."

"…You're welcome." Gaara replied, but he blinked when the girl smiled slightly at him before bowing, but when he noticed her turning around, to leave, he spoke again. "Your name?"

"Oh, forgive me." the girl apologized as she turned to face Gaara again, and she bowed. "My name is Karim Mairi."

»«»«»«

"Why are we doing this again?" Naruto questioned as he continued to carry the heavy bags, a bored expression on his face. "If I knew that our mission included shopping, I wouldn't have come."

"But Naruto-kun, we are here to help Sunagakure, and you did sound happy when Kankurou-san asked for us to help with the festivity." Hinata spoke as she looked up from the list she was holding as they continued to walk through the half empty streets, and Naruto sighed at her words. "But I can ask Hana to come with me, if you prefer."

"Nah, it's alright, it's just…" Naruto sighed, and Hinata looked at him over her shoulder. "Man, shopping isn't my thing. Why do I have to do it when Shikamaru is taking care of the place where we're supposed to do the party? It's not fair."

"Well, Shikamaru does keep saying this isn't his type." Hinata replied, unable to hold back a giggle, and Naruto sighed again. "But we're almost done, Naruto-kun, all we need is on that store."

"And what store is that?" Naruto questioned as he glanced at the shop that was just ahead of them before staring at the bags he was carrying. "We already brought the food, the drinks…Temari said she was going to take care of the games, so… What did I miss?"

"The sweets." Hinata replied as she glanced down at her list, and Naruto opened his eyes wide. "Kankurou-san told me to remember the children, and I thought that sweets were the best, and Kankurou-san agree so…"

"The sweets! Yay, it's sugar time!" Naruto exclaimed, and Hinata looked up at him with a surprised look before smiling softly when she saw how the boy's deep blue eyes were twinkling in anticipation. "Can I chose the candies? Can I? Can I?"

"Err…sure." Hinata replied before opening her eyes wide in surprise when Naruto threw his arms around her, although he was still holding the heavy bags. "Naruto-kun…"

"Arigatou, Hinata!" Naruto shouted, but before the girl could say something, the boy let go of her, and almost flew to the candy-shop, leaving a small trail of dust behind.

For what seemed to be an eternity, Hinata just stood on the same spot, holding the list to her chest. However, when Hinata noticed that she was finally alone, blood started rushing up to her face, and the girl immediately turned as bright as a tomato.

'_Naruto-kun is acting pretty strangely, ne?'_ Hinata asked herself, as she managed to force her legs to move, and she slowly followed the trail of dust. _'And he's hugging me a lot, ne? I wonder if he knows…'_

At that thought Hinata stopped her tracks, her eyes widened in shock while her mouth was slightly opened. No, Naruto could not know, that was not possible; she…she was not _that_ obvious, and Naruto did not pay any attention to her acts so…

"Hinata…"

"Eh?" in confusion, Hinata started glancing around; she was sure someone had called her name, but it could not be Naruto, since he had already disappeared inside the candy-shop.

"Hinata…."

Without even acknowledging it, Hinata closed her fist around the list tighter, her heart beating faster as the girl continued glancing around. That voice was so strange, and yet it was familiar too.

"Byakug-"

"Oi, Hinata!" Naruto's voice shouted suddenly, and Hinata turned her attention towards the store that was still a few meters away from her, and she spot Naruto at the door, waving. "C'mon! You have to see the chocolates they have in here!"

"H-Hai!" Hinata exclaimed back in her small voice before rushing to Naruto, the event that had just happened fading in her mind.

On the meantime, Tsunade and Shizune were in the office staring at the group in front of them with worried expressions. What had just been told was too serious to be ignored, but the biggest problem was that there was nothing they could do. At least, not any time soon.

"Are you certain of what you're telling me?" Tsunade questioned as she rested her entwined fingers in front of her chin, and the four young adults standing in front of her nodded. "Are you sure we can believe in his word?"

"Tsunade-sama, with all respect, if he told us about it then he's challenging you and your village." Suki started after a moment in silence as she gave one step forward. "Keahi is not the type of person who shows up after being missing for so long just to drop a hello."

"What do you expect us to do then?" Tsunade questioned, and the girl sighed.

"I think you should inform Naruto and the others, especially the Kazekage. If they are in fact trying to find the Nine-Tails, then we must do something about it." Suki started, "If you allow me to say so, I think you should question Tora and Naito about it too. I'm sure they know something about it, even if they never mentioned it before."

"Yes, I was thinking the same." Tsunade muttered before glancing at Shizune by the corner of her eyes, "Send a message to Kakashi and Mesi, informing about this. And then go to Sakura; I want her to leave tomorrow morning, and Lee is to go with her."

"Hey, what about us?" Kiba questioned suddenly, and the Hokage stared at him. "You can't possible leave us behind, doing nothing, when our friends are in danger. Let us go too. We'll do a better job if we all go."

"No, you're going to stay here, at least for a while." Tsunade retorted, and Kiba growled under his breath. "We cannot leave Konoha unprotected. If I think it's necessary to send more people, I'll inform you immediately, but until then you are to stay here."

After short nods in agreement, the team turned around, and left the office, and as soon as the door closed, Tsunade turned her attention to her subordinate. Then, still without uttering a word, she stood up, and walked to the windows, her arms pressed against her chest.

"They showed up half an year ago…" Tsunade started, Shizune watching her. "Naruto and the others don't know who they fought with, but it is perturbing to know that they are back. And Naruto and the others are not even here."

"But Kakashi-sensei does know who they are, I'm sure he'll speed up when he finds out what's going on." Shizune spoke, and Tsunade looked away from the sky to look at her subordinate. "I'm sure he'll watch over Naruto and the others."

"I want you to find Jiraiya, and tell him to go to Sunagakure immediately." Tsunade ordered, and Shizune blinked at the words. "I want Gai to be prepared too, but he's to stay in Konoha. As for Jiraiya, inform him about what's going on before he leaves; I can't have that pervert wandering around as if nothing is going on."

"But do you really think he doesn't know?" Shizune questioned, and Tsunade stared at her by the corner of her eyes. "I mean, he left when Shukaku was lost because he wanted to find more information…"

"Tsk, his way of finding information is not the one you're thinking about." Tsunade sighed, and once again Shizune blinked at the words. "Just tell him that it's urgent, but if he says he can't come here…"

There was a moment of silence, and Tsunade glanced outside again, only to see Ino, Chouji, Kiba and Suki walking out of the building talking about something. For a moment the Hokage just continued to stare at the youngsters, before snapping back to reality when Shizune called her name.

"Just tell him that," Tsunade turned her attention to Shizune again, "the Akatsuki are back, and that Sasuke will probably show up to go after his brother."

»«»«»«

"You know, there's no need for you to be doing this." Temari commented as continued washing salted sakura leaves in water before drying them with paper towel. "I'm not that bad when it comes to cooking."

"Hai, I know, but there was nothing to be done at the hospital, and I know how much you want to do this for the people who came to help the village." Hana started before smiling as she looked up from what she had just done. "The Rare Cheese Cake is finished. I've put some fruit sauces, I hope that's alright."

"If it tastes as good as it looks like, which I'm sure it does…" Temari added before smirking when she noticed Hana blushing slightly. "What about doing two others? We'll have a lot of hungry stomachs at the festival."

"H-Hai. And Hinata and I can give you a hand at the festival if you want. Well, if we don't have much to do at the hospital that is." Hana quickly added, and Temari nodded before turning to the stove, and heat some oil in a frying pan. "We thought we could…well, help in something."

"No, the festival is for you to have fun not to work." Temari started before glancing at Hana, "However, if we think more hands are needed, we'll tell you."

"Oh no, Temari's cooking. Just burn whatever she did, for the sake of everybody's health!" a voice shouted suddenly, and the two girls turned to the door of the kitchen only to see Kankurou and Shikamaru standing there. "And what the heck are you wearing?"

"Go to hell, Kankurou, at least I'm doing something." Temari snapped, a very faint blush on her cheeks as she glanced down at her white apron before turning to her brother. "And compared to you, I'm an expert in cooking."

"I'll make sure everyone knows what you cooked, just in case." Kankurou replied with a small smirk before whistling when he saw what was displayed on the long table. "Hopefully, all these very good looking sweets were done by Hana."

"But they are not for you." Temari retorted as she walked around the table before smacking Kankurou's hand away when she saw her brother trying to reach out for a dorayaki. "These are for tomorrow; if you do everything correctly, I'll let you eat one then."

"Man, I've been working really hard with the villagers; shouldn't I have some reward?" Kankurou asked as he pulled away his hand with a sigh, and Shikamaru tsk'ed at his behaviour. "He was the one didn't do anything."

"You're not going to blame me." Shikamaru replied, his hands stuffed into his pockets, a bored expression on his face. "Besides, I'm sure if you ate one you would end up eating everything here, and that would be too troublesome."

"Hey, I don't stuff my face on contrary of your friend." Kankurou spoke up indignantly, obviously referring to Naruto. "Damn, you girls are just too evil."

"Anou, you can take one of these." Hana finally said as she rose a plate filled with daigakuimo, or sugared sweet potatoes, and Kankurou beamed at her before grabbing one of the potatoes with a smile.

"Thanks Hana, at least you understand my feelings!" Kankurou joked, but he laughed when he saw the pink colour on Hana's cheeks.

"Hana, don't give him anything else, or he will eat everything on this table." Temari stated, and Hana glanced at her before nodding. Then, Temari looked down at the tokoroten, or gelidium jelly, she had started preparing before smirking. "So, sloth, wanna go with me to the festival?"

"Pardon?" Shikamaru asked back, caught completely off-guard, and Temari glanced at him before rolling her eyes when she noticed his surprised expression. "Since when do we need to take someone to that troublesome festival?"

"It's only polite to take someone." Temari retorted, and Kankurou finished eating his sweet potato before smirking at his sister. Then, he turned to Hana, and bowed slightly.

"Would you like to go with me, Hana?"

"M-Me?" Hana asked, also caught off guard, and Kankurou rested a hand on his hip as he nodded. "You…don't have someone else you want ask?"

"Nah, like this guy here would say, that's too troublesome." the Suna ninja started, and Hana looked down still blushing slightly. "Besides, you seem like a nice girl, and Temari here is going with Shikamaru so…and since asking Hinata is way out of the question. Not that you're the last resort, of course."

"I err…sure." Hana interrupted Kankurou's rambling, the faint pink colour still in her pale cheeks. "Thank you."

"Eh, no problem. One night of fun will be the best after all this hard work." Kankurou started with a small shrug before elbowing Shikamaru on the arm. "This guy doesn't have to complain though, all he has been doing is playing Shogi and stare at the blueprints."

"Man, this is such a drag; do I have to remember you that I am a proud lazy, cloud-loving guy?"

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Under the Stars

**Disclaimer:** I pretty much own nothing except the plot and the unknown characters. Part of the lyrics in this chapter belong to _K-Ci & JoJo_ – Through Heaven's Eyes.

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Alright, so I want to thank **FreeTheKyuubi**, **Brazilian Phoenix**, **star's dreams**, **Jojibear**, **Terenin**, **Avatarofrage** _and_ **Mae-ta** for everything guys. Without your support and ideas, I wouldn't b writing this. Thank you for everything.

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**Chapter 7**

Under the Stars

Even though they did want to arrive soon to Sunagakure, they had agreed that it was time for a break. After all, they had been travelling for three days now, and since Suna was practically around the corner, they established that it would not hurt to make a stop. However, that break was to be quick; just enough for their aching muscles to relax.

"The traps are ready; if someone manages to pass through them, they deserve to catch us." Kakashi spoke as he emerged from behind a tree, and Mesi jumped from a branch only to roll her eyes.

"If someone manages to pass through the traps, _you're_ the one who deserves to be caught because you were the one who prepared them." the woman replied before throwing an apple to the other Jounin, who chuckled. "So, do you want to continue to fill me in about what happened during the past two years? You stopped when you mentioned that Naruto left to train with Jiraiya."

"Ah yes, Tsunade – to put it simply – got too annoyed because Naruto just kept mentioning Sasuke, so she decided that he should go to a concealed place to train with Jiraiya." Kakashi started as he sat down on a small rock since they had stopped beside a small stream. "They were away for half an year, doing what I don't know."

"They returned shortly before the problem with Gaara started, correct?" Mesi questioned as she took her boots off and lower her feet on the water before starting move her legs back and forth.

"Yes, but then the whole incident with Gaara happened." Kakashi continued, and a dark look emerged from the depths of his soul, Mesi watching him as she finally bite the apple. "Naruto and the others went to save Gaara, but they were never told about who their enemy was."

"Akatsuki." Mesi stated, and Kakashi stared at her, the sombre look now replaced by a surprised on, and the woman shrugged. "I may be away from villages, Hatake, but I'm not an anti-social. Besides, I did hear some rumours."

"Well, yes, it was Akatsuki." Kakashi agreed with a short nod before looking down at his untouched apple. "They took Shukaku away; for what purpose we don't know, but we're positive it has to do with Naruto."

"That kid does seem to have a thing for problems." Mesi muttered, and Kakashi shrugged before looking down at her only to blink when the woman threw her apple at him. Then, for Kakashi's surprise, she moved the zip of her black sleeveless tank top down before taking it off, revealing her dark green one which was shorter than the first. Short at the point of reaching just above her navel…

"That's Naruto for you." Kakashi forced himself to say as he looked away from Mesi, his eyes glancing at the darkening sky. However, before he could say something else, Kakashi saw a familiar bird soaring just above his head only to start descending moments later. "We have problems."

Quickly Kakashi stood up from the rock, and extended his arm, allowing the royal eagle to rest on it. Without saying anything, the male Jounin quickly took the message from the eagle's leg with one hand, and handed it to Mesi – who had suddenly appeared beside him – silently indicating her to open it.

"We have to go." Mesi spoke after reading the message, and Kakashi stared at her before nodding, and after moving his arm up, the eagle opened its wings, and flew into the sky. "We'll have to be quick, because it seems that Naruto just keeps drawing troubles."

"We'll be there before midnight." Kakashi retorted, and Mesi nodded before dressing her black tank top again, zipping up to her neck, and it was only after making sure everything was settle that the two Jounin continued their way.

»«»«»«

That was, to put it simply, way too troublesome.

After a whole day helping at the hospital, Kankurou had dragged both Shikamaru and Naruto to the garden where the festivity was going to take place. Of course they had not gone there to relax, and during the rest of the afternoon Shikamaru found himself helping the villagers with the tents.

And by nightfall, when all work had been finished, he had been forced to go to the siblings' house, wait for the girls to get ready. Oh yes, because apparently the villagers from Sunagakure did enjoy to go to a festival after spending the whole day working.

And that was really a drag.

"So, why are we here?" Naruto asked suddenly as he looked around, observing the simple yet welcoming living room, and Kankurou sighed as he sat down on the pale-blue sofa, and crossed his legs.

"We're waiting for the girls to come down." the Suna ninja explained, and Naruto turned to him. "It's not polite to allow three girls to wander around alone, during a festivity. I presume you thought about that when you invited Hinata to come with you."

"_Eh? _I had to _invite_ her?" Naruto asked with a surprised look, and while Kankurou stared at him as if he was stupid, Shikamaru sighed and rose a cigarette up to his lips. "But why? It's not as if she didn't know we were going together."

"Man, you're too troublesome." Shikamaru muttered, but before he could lit the cigarette, a hand appeared from out of nowhere, and a pair of fingers snapped the cigarette into two parts. "Hey, don't do that."

"You're not going to smoke tonight." Temari spoke suddenly as she rested a hand against her hip, and Shikamaru was about to retort when he noticed what she was wearing. A plain black kimono with a red obi; her hair was pulled to its original four spiky buns, but Shikamaru had to admit she did look pretty.

"Where are Hana and Hinata?" Kankurou questioned as he stood up, his arms pressed against his chest, and almost as if they had heard him, the two other girls walked inside.

Now Hinata did look completely different; her kimono was white with orange and red petals embroiled at the bottom and long sleeves. Her obi was a dark shade of orange, and for a moment Shikamaru could not help but recall Naruto's outfit; they did match somehow.

"Wow, Hinata, you look great!" Naruto exclaimed, making the shy girl blush at his words at same time she looked down, but Shikamaru decided to take the profit of the moment and glance at Hana.

She had already walked to Kankurou, who was praising her, and for a moment Shikamaru wondered if he should do the same. He had to agree that kimonos did seem to work their magic; they had made Temari look pretty, Hinata was looking gorgeous and Hana was looking…different.

Shikamaru could not say what, but the way the girl's sapphire-blue kimono seemed to make her look thinner was pretty impressive. And the pearl-white obi did accentuate her curves…curves Shikamaru had never noticed before…

"Oi, Shikamaru, snap out of it!" Kankurou exclaimed suddenly, and the lazy genius tsk'ed when he noticed that someone had caught him staring. "We aren't going to be late just because you decided to daydream."

"Man, stop being so troublesome, I'm coming." Shikamaru muttered as he stepped beside Temari, and the six ninja left the house, chatting and laughing about everything and nothing.

"Say, where's Gaara?" Naruto questioned when they were just about to arrive at the festival, and both Temari and Kankurou shared a look. "Don't tell me he's not coming. If he isn't, tell me where he is, and I'll bring him!"

"He's the Kazekage, of course he's coming." Kankurou spoke suddenly, turning to Naruto. "But he also has other duties. He stood behind to take care of some things."

"Great! Now, did you guys asked for someone to make ramen?" Naruto asked as they finally walked through the main entrance of the festival, and were immediately surrounded by people. However, silence was all that answered him, although Naruto was too excited to notice. "C'mon Hinata, lets look for ramen!"

"Hai!" was all Hinata had time to say, but the short word came out like a yelp since Naruto had grabbed her hand, and pulled her away from the group.

"Tsk, he's so troublesome." Shikamaru sighed as he watched his friends disappear in the middle of the crowd, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Hey Hana, lets go check the games!" Kankurou spoke suddenly, and Shikamaru looked at the said girl, only to see her gazing around. "I heard someone made a fish tank; we can try to catch one of the fish."

"Sure." Hana answered with a smile, and for some reason Shikamaru refused to look their way when Kankurou lead Hana to the opposite direction Naruto and Hinata had taken.

"C'mon, you lazy ass, I heard there are some games around where you can use weapons." Temari commented suddenly, and Shikamaru sighed before muttering a 'hai' without much enthusiasm.

"So, Hana told me you guys are friends." Temari commented as the two of them walked through the middle of the crowd, and Shikamaru tsk'ed. "I'm very happy to see that you, the lazy guy, is finally making some moves. It's about time, you know?"

"Eh, I'm not making any moves on anyone." Shikamaru started, as he grabbed a cigarette only to sigh when Temari took it from his hand. "That's too troublesome."

"Perhaps Hana's not your type?" Temari questioned, and Shikamaru glanced at her by the corner of his eyes. "But I think you may be hers, because she always mentions you at some point in a conversation."

"Tsk, that means nothing." Shikamaru retorted, his hands stuffed inside his pockets again. "I have no interest on hitting on a girl."

"What if _I_ made a move?" Temari inquired suddenly, and Shikamaru turned to her only to notice the mischievous look on her face. "What if I suddenly threw myself at you, and confessed by undying love for you?"

"Man, stop being so troublesome." Shikamaru muttered, but the corner of his lips did curl up into a small smile when the Suna ninja started laughing. "You're a weird girl, did you know that?"

"Yes, Kankurou reminds me of it everyday. But seriously, why don't you tell me about this relationship of yours with Hana?"

While Temari and Shikamaru continued talking, Naruto was busy dragging Hinata with him in a hopeless quest to find some ramen. One week and half had indeed pass without even the slightest scent of ramen, and Naruto was indeed starting to miss his favourite food.

"Man, I give up." Naruto spoke as he stopped his tracks, so suddenly that Hinata slammed against him before stumbling backwards. "Sorry for dragging you all this time for nothing."

"T-That's alright." Hinata answered as she walked to his side, a very faint pink colour on her cheeks. "Where do you want to go eat then?"

"I guess any place will work." Naruto said with a small shrug before smiling at the girl beside him. "What about walking through this place, and actually look at the tents? I do feel bad for pushing you around like that."

"It's okay, Naruto-kun, I know you probably miss ramen." Hinata started before looking down. "If you want, I can make some for you when we get home."

"Seriously? You would do that for me?" Naruto asked, visibly surprised, and Hinata turned to him only to nod. "Thanks a lot, Hinata! I seriously can't see my life working properly without you anymore."

"It's just ramen, Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered although she was bushing faintly, and her breath got stuck in her throat when Naruto suddenly pulled her into a hug.

"That's what you think, but it's not true." Naruto started, looking rather serious despite of the happy atmosphere surrounding them. "Hinata, you…these past two years did help me to see things I didn't use to notice. I know I'm still slow, but you…you truly helped me a lot."

"That's what friends are for, Naruto-kun." Hinata replied, feeling rather nervous since Naruto still had his hands resting on her waist, but she still managed to smile. "B-But I think the same. You helped me a lot too."

"You have to tell me how, because I seriously don't understand how someone like me could help someone else." Naruto commented, looking down, and Hinata rested her hands on top of his before entwining her fingers with his. "Especially you, Hinata, who always knows what to do."

"That's not true!" Hinata exclaimed, and before she knew it, there was a timid smile on her face. "I… Don't you remember what I told you in the third training ground right before you went to the third exam? You…you always helped me to never give up. You were always…you were always the one who guided me."

"But why me?" Naruto questioned, and slowly he looked down at their entwined fingers. "Why did you chose me? I mean…I always behave like an idiot, acting strong because I'm too pissed off to car-"

"Stop it!" Hinata interrupted, and before she could restrain herself, she let go of Naruto's hands in order to cup his cheeks. "Please, Naruto-kun, don't say those things. You're the bravest person I know, and…and you affect people's lives, Naruto-kun. You have the ability to change people."

"Hinata…"

"You're a very special person, Naruto-kun, not because of what you have inside of you, but because of how you grew up." Hinata continued, still holding the boy's face with her warm hands. "You always tried to be acknowledged by everyone, and you were. You are better than everybody else, and that's why I believe that one day you're going to become the Hokage."

"Hinata…" Naruto whispered, and the girl blushed slightly as they continued to stare at each other's eyes, her hands still holding his cheeks. "Thank you so much for being always with me. You…you always know what to say."

"Y-You're welcome." Hinata stuttered, but when she was about to lower her hands, Naruto put his over hers, and she stared at him in confusion. "I…I'm just sorry I never helped you when we were younger. I…I always thought you didn't know I existed."

"I err…well, I guess we were never _that_ close." Naruto retorted, laughing nervously, and Hinata also smiled shyly at him. "Anyway, I'm really happy to have you as my friend now, Hinata. I mean, since you finally left your shell you became more confident, and err…well, how can I say this…"

"I became what, Naruto-kun?" Hinata questioned, looking rather worried, and Naruto entwined his fingers with hers as he lowered their hands.

"Well, remember when I err…when I said you were…hum…hot?" Naruto questioned, and despite of all of her attempts, Hinata felt blood rushing up to her face, her cheeks warming up immediately. Then, she nodded slowly, her eyes turned to the ground. "Well, I hum…I was really referring to…Sasuke?"

"Eh?" Hinata asked, caught completely off guard, and she looked up at Naruto only to see him staring at some random point to their left. "Eh? Naruto-kun?"

"I just saw Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, releasing Hinata's hands, and then he turned to the girl. "Wait right here! I have to go see if it was him!"

"Wait! Naruto-kun!" Hinata called-out, raising a hand in the air, but she closed her mouth when Naruto disappeared through the middle of the crowd. However, it did not take long for Hinata to close her hand into a fist, and she went after him as quickly as her kimono allowed her to.

»«»«»«

He could hear people's voices echoing through the empty streets of Sunagakure. Apparently everyone had indeed decided to go have some fun for the night, and deep down he was relieved by that. After all, the idea for the festival had come up as quickly as it had come true, and he was slightly afraid that people would not enjoy it.

However, as he continued walking through the empty streets, he knew there was nothing to worry about. Kankurou had been right; people _had_ grasped the idea of having fun after so many days working non-stop.

"_if a man lose everything he owns_

_has he truly lost his worth_

_or is it the beginning_

_of a new and brighter birth"_

Suddenly, Gaara stopped his tracks, and looked to his side when a deep male voice reached his ears. In confusion he gazed to his side, and for a moment Gaara could not help but wonder why he always seemed to end up at the hospital. It was not as if someone was in there… But now that he was actually paying attention to his surroundings, Gaara was hearing children laughing and squealing while older voices laughed and talked.

In silence, Gaara approached the main gates of the hospital before turning to his side, and blink in confusion and slight surprise when he saw what was happening. Apparently there were people that had decided not to go to the festival, but were still having a small party nonetheless. Injured people were sitting in chairs and even on the ground, children in the same condition scattered around, having fun.

In the middle of the crowd was a small bonfire, people dancing around, some with small injuries, others looking perfectly fine. And for a moment Gaara could not help but wonder about what was happening.

"_So how do you measure the worth of a man_

_in wealth or strength or size_

_in how much he gained or how much he gave_

_the answer will come _

_the answer will come to he who tries_

_to look at his life through heaven's eyes_

_and that's why we share all we have with you_

_though there's little to be found_

_when all you've got is nothing"_

Suddenly a man, who appeared to be on his forties, emerged from out-of-nowhere, holding a child on his arm. He was moving his free arm around, words leaving his lips perfectly while other people continued to cheer or even dance.

That was something Gaara had never had the chance to see. He definitely did not understand why people were having a private party when everyone else was in the festival, but before Gaara could think about what he should do, his eyes caught something.

"_No life can escape being blown about_

_by the winds of change and chance_

_and though you never know all the steps_

_you must learn to join the dance_

_you must learn to join the dance"_

It was the girl…the girl and the child he had protected at the construction. What was their names again? Mairi and Maiko? Well, it was not as if it mattered to him, but still…

"_lai-la-lai"_

Before Gaara could control his movements, he approached the small party, his eyes locked with Mairi and Maiko who were dancing close to the bonfire along with other people. He seriously did not know what was going on, but before Gaara could emerge from the shadows the man who was singing spun around, the child still in his arms.

"_lai-la-lai...through heaven's eyes"_

Suddenly everyone started cheering and clapping, the man bowing the best he could since he was still holding the boy in his arms. A boy, Gaara finally managed to notice, that had a cast on his arm, a bandage protecting his forehead. Could that be like a party for the people in the hospital?

"Mairi, it's your turn now!"

Despite of everything, Gaara found himself looking at the cobalt haired girl, who was standing next to the bonfire holding Maiko's hand. A blush could be seen on her cheeks as she continued wheezing, but when she opened her mouth to speak, Maiko looked at his direction.

"Onee-chan, look, it's Gaara-sama!"

Silence fell like a stone.

Without saying anything Gaara left the shadows, knowing better than turning around especially since every pair of eyes had turned to look at him as soon as the child had spoken. However no word left his lips, since Gaara honestly did not know what to say. Give him someone to fight, and he'll win, but ask him to speak in such awkward moment, and Gaara will stay silent.

"Gaara-sama, what are you doing here?" Mairi finally questioned as she turned to him, still holding Maiko's left hand, "You…You could have joined us if you wanted."

"…I don't want to intrude." Gaara heard himself say, his arms pressed against his chest; a habit he had developed over the years. "I'll leave now."

"You can stay if you want." Mairi continued when Gaara was just turning around. "We hope we didn't do something improper when we did this party, but the patients here are not allowed to leave the hospital's grounds, and…"

"It's alright." Gaara interrupted the girl's rambling as he continued to look at her, and he noticed the fleck of relief that washed everyone's face. "But I'll leave you alone."

"Gaara-sama, why don't you stay?" Maiko questioned suddenly, and Gaara's eyes slipped to the child, who turned to Mairi. "Onee-chan, he looks sad. Tell him to stay."

"Maiko, he's the Kazekage, I'm sure Gaara-sama has more to do." Mairi explained as she crouched next to the girl. "But you can ask him that yourself; he won't bite you."

At those words, Gaara found himself turning to the two girls. How could someone be so sure about him when she did not know him? And she was not even from Sunagakure! Her behaviour was a puzzle, and Gaara simply did not know what to think of it.

"Gaara!" someone called out from the street, and the Kazekage looked behind him only to see Kankurou emerging from the shadows, Temari and the group from Konoha emerging from behind him. "Gaara, we have to talk to you. It's urgent!"

"What happened?" Gaara questioned, turning to his side as he continued to stare at his brother, but it was Naruto who spoke as he walked to the Kazekage.

"I saw Sasuke in the festival!"

**To Be Continued…**


	8. Fears in the Shadows

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, except the plot and the unknown characters.

»«»«»«

I want to thank **star's dreams**, **DanteHyuuga**, **FreeTheKyuubi**, **SGCred** _and_ **Terenin** for everything. You guys just know how to convince me to never give up!

»«»«»«

**Chapter 8**

Fears in the Shadows

The sun was already rising in the horizon when Shizune opened the door of the office, a worried expression on her face. As expected, Tsunade was already there, sitting behind the desk, staring at a document with a very serious look. A look that Shizune was already expecting, but at same time made her worry about the reason for such concern.

"Tsunade-sama." Shizune called-out as she stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her, and Tsunade glanced at her before continuing to study the document. "Tsunade-sama, I was just informed, and…are you really going to allow such thing?"

"It's the only way, I don't want to take unnecessary risks." Tsunade replied, before putting the document down while Shizune stopped in front of her desk, a worried look on her face. "You must understand we cannot lose more time. He's our last solution."

"But Ibiki… Tsunade-sama, he's going to use torture to make the interrogation."

"That's his job." Tsunade replied, looking a bit too calm about the whole situation, but then she entwined her fingers in front of her chin. "Shizune, I understand your worry, but unfortunately nothing that was used before worked. Ibiki is our only solution now."

"But enemies or not they…they are just children." Shizune spoke, and Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the choice of words.

"Shizune, they are not children." the Hokage started, looking extremely solemn, and Shizune gulped at the harsh tone. "They are the enemy, who most likely know when Keahi and Sasuke are going to make an appearance. And I simply refuse to leave Naruto and the others alone, with absolutely no protection. Especially since we don't know what is going to happen nor when."

"I understand…" Shizune whispered as she glanced down, and Tsunade sighed, ready to proceed with her speech when there was a _knock_, and the two females looked at the door.

"Sensei, we just came here to inform you that we're leaving." a woman spoke as she walked inside, her pink hair caressing her shoulders as she moved while her pale green eyes were locked with Tsunade's. "We'll try to send you a report when we arrive, explaining what's going on in Sunagakure."

"Thank you, Sakura, and please keep an eye on Naruto for me." Tsunade started, and the young woman nodded in agreement at same time an extremely tall young man stepped behind her. "Lee, your job is to keep an eye on Sakura."

"I would do that even if you didn't ask me." the man spoke, his black hair short while bangs were covering his eyes slightly. Despite of everything, including Sakura's tries to change it, Rock Lee had indeed decided to keep his sensei's style, and for everyone's horror, the same green outfit. However, being this Lee and his sensei Gai, everyone knew better than trying to knock some sense in the young man's head. Sakura herself had quit almost an year ago.

"I trust you both to do a good job, and remember not to do anything foolish." Tsunade continued, and the two young adults nodded. "Sakura, while you're in this mission, Shizune is going to watch over Ino. This way, she continues to improve during your absence."

"Thank you, sensei and Shizune-san." thanked Sakura as she bowed in respect, Lee doing the same beside her, wearing a tactical vest just like Gai. "We'll send news as soon as possible."

"Good luck."

Slowly the two young adults walked out of the office, but it was only that they were alone that Shizune glanced at Tsunade. The time of darkness was slowly washing over every country, but the worse was that there was no light close to chase the shadows away.

"Shizune." Tsunade called suddenly, and the younger woman snapped to her thoughts to stare at the Hokage. "Call Ibiki Morino now."

"Hai."

»«»«»«

Despite of the whole situation, Hana could not help but smile at Kankurou's behaviour. The previous night had been spent between searches for Uchiha Sasuke, and plans to find out what could be going in Sunagakure. However, when no answer had been found, everyone decided to return to Gaara's office to make some final plans before returning home.

And at the moment Kankurou was at the Konoha ninja's apartment, explaining what they were supposed to do. Well, or so he tried, because he always managed to squeeze a joke in the middle of his speech before winking at Hana. Hinata, who was beside the brunette, also smiled at the Suna ninja's jokes while Naruto looked pissed off, and Shikamaru annoyed.

"Can we focus on what we're supposed to do?" Naruto finally asked, through clenched teeth, and Kankurou looked at him while Hana glanced at Hinata, who shrugged.

"What? I've been talking about what we're supposed to do, you are the ones who are trying to fulminate me through your glares." Kankurou retorted before pointing a finger to the paper that was lying on the kitchen table. "And like I was saying, we have teams searching everywhere for Sasuke. If he's in Suna, he _will_ be found."

"And it took you half an hour to say that?" Shikamaru questioned, his hands stuffed into his pockets, and then he glanced away. "Tsk, troublesome…"

"It wouldn't have taken so long if you were paying attention." Kankurou retorted as he looked down at the map of the village. "Anyway, you are forbidden of going after Sasuke alone, therefore you're going to continue helping out at the hospital."

"What? Definitely not! If I have a chance to find Sasuke here, I'm going to take it!" Naruto exclaimed, looking angry, and Kankurou gazed at him. "And I don't care what you may say, I'm going after him even if that means going alone."

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered as everyone saw the blond shaking slightly in anger, and then she swallowed. "I-I think we should do as Kankurou-san says, Naruto-kun. We don't even know if it was Sasuke who you saw at the festival."

"What? You're doubting me?" Naruto interrupted, and from where she stood Hana saw Hinata wince, and she quickly shifted closer to her girl friend. "I know what I saw! I know it was Sasuke!"

"No one is doubting you, Naruto, but your mission here is not to go after Sasuke but to give us a hand." Kankurou started after a sigh, and Naruto clenched his fists even harder. "I understand your wish of going after Sasuke, but we can't risk it. You are here to help at the hospital; if you go after Sasuke, and get injured, the blame will fall on Sunagakure and not in your reckless decision."

"But…"

"You may try to talk to Gaara about this, but I'm certain this will be his answer too." Kankurou continued as he rolled the map before holding it with his hand. "I'm sure you don't want to risk anything that may happen between the two villages just because of Sasuke."

"I know…" Naruto muttered, and Hana watched as Hinata took a deep breath, and walked to the boy's side before resting a hand on his arm. Slowly, Naruto looked at the Hyuuga heiress, and sighed again. "I know…"

"Listen, I have to go." Kankurou continued as he straightened himself, "I have to help the workers, if you guys want, you can come too, but… Naruto, you have to promise me you won't lift one harmer to help out."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto questioned as Hinata dropped her hand, and Kankurou sighed while Shikamaru sweatdropped and Hana chuckled. "But yeah, I guess I can do the hard work of carrying planks and such."

"Good, are you girls coming too?" Kankurou asked as he looked from Hinata to Hana, and the two of them nodded. "Great, I'll see you later then."

"I'll walk you to the door." Hana spoke, but Kankurou waved a hand in dismiss.

"I'm sure I won't get lost." he retorted, and Hana blushed slightly in embarrassment, and she looked down when Kankurou winked at her before waving at his friends, and leave the kitchen.

"Tsk, he's so troublesome…" Hana heard Shikamaru mutter, and when she glanced at him, she could not help but feel something strange at the bottom other stomach when she saw he was looking at her.

"_Oi! Someone's here for you!"_ Kankurou's voice echoed through the whole house, and almost in a cue Hinata grabbed Naruto's elbow, and pulled him out of the kitchen so that they could go check whoever was at the door.

"Shikamaru-san, is there something wrong?" Hana questioned as she continued to stare at the young man, the table separating them. "I-I mean, did I do something wrong?"

"Tsk, I don't know, did you?"

For a moment Hana looked down. Had she done something that could have upset him? No, she was almost positive she had not. But then again, if Shikamaru was angry it was probably because Hana had not been training as much as she should because of her work at the hospital. Hana knew that that was no excuse, but arriving to Sunagakure had forced all of them to adequate their lives to the style of life in the Hidden Village of Sand, and…

"I'm sorry, Shikamaru-san." Hana whispered suddenly, still looking down, but when she was about to gaze up since the boy had sighed, she jumped in surprise when someone suddenly appeared beside her.

"Yo!"

Hana seriously did not know how Hatake Kakashi had appeared beside her from out-of-nowhere, but then again, he was not a Jounin for nothing. However, before something could be said, Naruto and Hinata appeared at the door, Kourui Mesi just standing behind them.

"Kakashi-sensei, you can't just disappear like that!" Naruto said disapprovingly as he stared at his teacher, who turned to him. "Especially when I asked you a question. Have you no manners?"

"He's right Hatake, walking inside without actually having been invited isn't polite." Mesi taunted as she shook her head slightly. "Sometimes I would prefer not to be associated with you. But kids, tell me, you have been living alone?"

"Yep!" Naruto exclaimed happily as he turned to the woman behind him, a foxy grin on his face. "Just Hinata, Shikamaru, Hana and myself. "Not that we spend too much time at home, because we're always working at the hospital. Well, Shikamaru doesn't do much…"

"Eh? You're the one who bothers the carpenters." Shikamaru interjected, looking slightly bored with what had just been confessed. "Tsk, I don't even know why people still allow you to help in the construction."

"At least I try." Naruto retorted, and while Kakashi sighed, Mesi chuckled before resting a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Nani?"

"I can see you're surviving." Mesi started before glancing at Hinata and Hana. "And hopefully you're behaving like gentlemen, because if you aren't, things will change drastically around here. Especially with a pervert around here."

"Mesi…"

"Hatake, people usually say that denial is half way to recovery, you should at least be honest with yourself." the woman interrupted before smirking when she noticed the confused look on Naruto's face, while the two young medical-nin were blushing, and Shikamaru was looking at the ceiling. "And before you guys ask, yes, Hatake and I are here to stay."

"Nani? You're the ones Tsunade-basan said she was going to send?" Naruto questioned suddenly, looking surprised, and Mesi nodded as the blond turned to his sensei. "How long are you going to stay?"

"As long as we're needed." Kakashi answered before taking his infamous book form his pouch, and open it. "We can also give a hand at the hospital if you need help. Just keep Mesi away from the nails, and we shall be fine."

"Look who's talking, you don't even know how to fry an egg!" Mesi exclaimed in defence, and the four young adults in the room chuckled at the Jounin's behaviour. "Baka hentai."

"So, what about you youngsters telling us about what has been going on around here?" Kakashi questioned as he leaned against the counter behind him, the open book now in front of his face, and suddenly there was silence. A silence that made the male Jounin look up in confusion, his eye turning to Naruto. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah, Sasuke happened." Naruto replied, his voice coming out a bit more colder than before, and both Kakashi and Mesi glanced at each other. A movement that did not go unnoticed by Shikamaru, who sighed afterwards.

»«»«»«

"You can go now, and remember to be careful when running around." Mairi spoke as she helped the little boy to get on his feet, and then she tapped his head. "And don't take the bandage off. Come back here in two days, so I can see how it is."

"Hai! Arigatou, Mairi-san!" the boy exclaimed happily as he looked up from the bandage around his elbow, and with an animated wave he run off the room.

As she shook her head slightly, Mairi turned to the tray that was on the stretcher, and started putting everything on it. Children from Sunagakure were indeed very enthusiastic and full of energy; every day they would show up at the hospital with results from falls or from plays that only increased their vigour.

In Kirigakure things were different.

Things developed differently there. There were still conventions going on, trying to find another way to have the graduation exam, since the previous one was, to put it simple, a slaughter. Another reason why the way of life was different was because there were not many ninja there; missing-nin appeared to be exist in higher number, and Mairi knew that was accurate.

However, just like Sunagakure, Kirigakure was also developing. In a slower pace, but it was, and Mairi hoped that Maiko would be able to see the improved Hidden Village in the Mist. No…Mairi was certain that her sister was going to live in a better Kirigakure…

Suddenly Mairi felt goosebumps cover her arms, and slowly she looked up from the tray before gazing over her shoulder. When her eyes meet a pair of cyan-coloured eyes, Mairi immediately turned around, and bowed.

"Konnichi wa, Gaara-sama." she greeted before straightening up, but the Kazekage of Sunagakure just continued to stare at her, a blank expression on his face. "Is there anything you need?"

"…You told me to come." Gaara pointed out, his arms still pressed against his chest, and Mairi blinked at his words. "Something about what happened at the construction…"

"Oh yes, of course." Mairi finally said as she allowed the corner of her lips to curl up into a small smile, and then she motioned for him to walk inside. "I wasn't sure if you were coming though, being always busy and all."

In silence Gaara approached the stretcher, his arms still pressed against his chest while Mairi grabbed the tray. Mairi did not know why, but when she had first seen Sabaku no Gaara she had thought as if everything she had heard about him was implausible. People in Kirigakure often described him as a monster, who refused to have any contact with anyone, and who would probably kill you without blinking just because you had dared to glance at him.

But there she was, holding a tray while she was looking at the Kazekage of Sunagakure, who was staring back at her. And despite of the situation, Mairi could not help but think that everyone in her village was out of his and her mind. After all Gaara was, to be straightforward, a very handsome man, and his clothes… Mairi blushed faintly when she noticed at what she was staring at…his dark-wine coloured outfit did offer some kind of liberty for thoughts to run wild.

Suddenly, Mairi shook her head slightly, in order to clear her head. She was not there to gawk at someone, much less at the Kazekage. She had a duty towards Sunagakure and her own village, and that was to what she was going to stick to.

"You can sit on the stretcher." Mairi finally instructed, as she put the tray aside, and Gaara did what he was told without uttering a word. "I just want to make sure your body is dealing well with the sudden lack of chakra. I hope you don't mind."

When Gaara said nothing, Mairi decided that it was alright for her to start. After taking a deep breath, Mairi rested her right hand over Gaara's back before putting her left one over it, and then she concentrated her chakra so that it would focus in her hands. A faint green light immediately surrounded her hands, as Mairi started her examination.

"So, have you felt any pain lately?" Mairi questioned as she moved her hands so that they were now resting between Gaara's shoulder-blades, and the young man shook his head. "I hope you have been resting, despite of all the work you most certainly have."

Slowly Mairi walked around, and gazed at Gaara, silently asking for permission. Silently, Gaara nodded, and Mairi rested her hands on his chest. Despite of the fact he was fully dressed, Mairi could still feel the warmth emanating from his body. The warmth and the power as well as his mystifying silence.

"You're fine." Mairi spoke, but she still leaned her hands against Gaara's chest, and listened to his heart beating. It was a steady and strong beat, just like his personality. "Your body is slowly getting used to the only source of chakra you have now."

"You're a medical-nin." Gaara spoke suddenly, and Mairi turned to her side so that she was facing filled with various types of medical utensils. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Mairi replied as she reached out for a small book before opening it, and stare at the instructions written in it.

"How…"

When Gaara trailed off, Mairi turned to him, still holding the opened book. She wanted to find out something that could help Gaara with the pains, and Mairi hoped the answer was in that book.

"How do two people make love?" Gaara questioned suddenly, and Mairi immediately dropped the book in surprise and shock. "I mean…how can two people make something they're supposed to feel?"

"Y-You're asking me _what_, exactly?" Mairi asked back, and she was positive that a faint pink colour had just pained her cheeks. Gaara, on the contrary, looked completely alright with the subject.

"…How can two people make something that it's supposed to be here?" Gaara inquired, leaning his right hand against his chest, over his heart. "It doesn't make sense to me."

"Oh hum… Oops." Mairi muttered before bending down to grab the book she had dropped, but when she got up, Gaara was already standing, his arms pressed against his chest.

"Well, I guess you're right." Mairi started, putting the book on the table again. "People often talk about something that can only be felt, but… I guess that when people talk about making…_that_, they're simply referring to a way that can be used to show how much they love one another."

"Have you already showed it that way?" Gaara questioned, entitling his head slightly to the side, and Mairi blushed ten shades of red before shaking her head. "You seem so sure of what you're saying."

"Only the theory." Mairi replied, trying desperately to stop blushing, but Gaara just continued looking at her. "I hum…anyway, I also have something to ask you err…as a doctor I mean, so…" Gaara nodded, silently giving her the consent to speak. "Do you ever sleep, Gaara-sama?"

"No."

The answer, although short and quick, seemed to carry a heavy burden. Mairi did not know if it was due of the fact she had been dealing with patients ever since she was young, or because of the pained look that had flashed through Gaara's eyes when he had spoken. No matter what could be used as an explanation, Mairi _had_ noticed how that small word seemed to carry all the tiredness of the young man standing in front of her.

"Have you ever tried, Gaara-sama?" Mairi questioned tentatively, but Gaara just continued to look at her. "I'm not aware of everything, Kazekage-sama, but I was told that what you once guarded inside of you was what stopped you from sleeping. But now that you no longer have it, I advise you – as a doctor – that you should try and rest properly. Sleep is very important for a body that it's healing."

"I don't sleep."

"Perhaps you should try." Mairi replied, trying not too sound rude, but Gaara simply continued to stare at her with his emotionless face. "I think that you need to overcome that fear of sleeping, and rest. You are a human being, Kazekage, despite of what people may think, and as a human, you need your rest."

"Mairi!" a voice called-out, and the young woman looked at the door in time to Maiko dashing inside the room, and immediately grab her arm. "Mairi, you have to come quickly!"

"Maiko, I'm busy right now, I can't go." Mairi spoke while her sister kept pulling her hand.

"But Yuki-kun hurt his arm while we were playing football!" Maiko exclaimed, sounding truly worried, and Mairi raised an eyebrow since her sister continued to try to pull her from the room. "I think he broke his arm because he says it hurts to move it!"

"Maiko, I can't go no-"

"You can go." Gaara spoke suddenly, and Mairi turned to him in surprise. "You said I'm alright, go take care of the ones who need help."

"But…" Mairi sighed before telling Maiko to wait outside, but it was only when the little girl finally understood that it was the Kazekage who was inside the room that she did what she was told. "Fine, I'll let you leave with one condition."

"…What?"

"You must come here again." Mairi answered, her eyes locked with Gaara's. "I'm sorry, but as a doctor, I don't like to see that my patients are suffering. You may be fine now, but I told you that if you exceed yourself you'll feel pain again, and since you're not sleeping either… So please, I ask you, come here again."

"…Very well." Gaara replied with a short nod, and Mairi smiled thankfully at him before bowing, and turn around. However, when she was about to walk though the door, Gaara's voice made her stop. "…Thank you."

"You're welcome, Gaara-sama." Mairi replied as she looked over her shoulder, a smile still on her face. "And I hope that one day you'll find the one who will show you what love is, and what are the best ways to show it."

With those words, Mairi walked out of the office only to see Maiko standing there, a worried expression on her face. Almost immediately the little girl grabbed her sister's hand, and started pulling Mairi towards the main doors of the hospital. Outside, the sun was slowly disappearing behind the houses, darkness starting to invade the streets in a balanced rate.

What no one noticed, however, were the figures that zoomed through the almost empty streets, and that slowly faded into the shadows.

**To Be Continued…**


	9. Unwanted Truths

**Disclaimer:** Everything here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own my own characters and the plot of this fic. Nothing else is mine.

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I want to thank **star's dreams**, **Terenin**, **SGCred** _and _**FreeTheKyuubi**; thank you for your patience, and I swear things are _finally_ going to start moving!

»«»«»«

**Chapter 9**

Unwanted Truths

With a wide grin, Naruto continued handing the planks to the carpenter that was working on the roof. Even though he was forbidden of raising even one single nail, Naruto was very happy for being able to help in everything else. Besides, despite his behaviour, Naruto knew it was better if he stayed away from the carpenters work. He simply did not want to have one single reason to make Tsunade get mad at him.

As he wiped the sweat that was rolling down his forehead with the back of his hand, Naruto looked to his side where Shikamaru was, talking with other workers about the blueprints. He still refused to do real hard work, but Naruto knew that his friend was taking care of everything that required brains. However, that did not stop Naruto from teasing Shikamaru about refusing the gain more muscle.

Still with a foxy grin on his face, Naruto looked to the opposite side, and saw Kankurou working on a wall not too far from him. After the festival, everyone seemed to have a whole new energy; everyone was working the best they could, and the west wing was slowly gaining the aspect of a true hospital wing.

And if things continued with the same rate, they would be finished even before the schedule.

"Excuse me." a voice called-out suddenly, and Naruto looked over his shoulder only to meet a pair of grey eyes. A young man, probably in his early twenties, was standing there, holding various planks over his shoulder, his dark-blonde hair pulled into a low ponytail. "Are you Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Yes, that would be me." Naruto replied as he continued handing the wooden planks beside him to the worker on the roof. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh no, I was just told to give you this." the boy replied as he put the planks on the ground. "I just wanted to make sure it was you. Say, do you need any help, because I pretty much did what I was supposed to do."

"Well, you can help ojiisan over there." Naruto replied, motioning to the old man that was working on the roof with his hand. "I would give him a hand myself, but the carpenters made me swear I wouldn't try to help them again."

"Oh, I guess I can try to do that." the boy started, smiling slightly, and then he extended a hand. "My name is Zurui."

"My name's Naruto, but I guess you know that already." the Leaf shinobi spoke as he shook Zurui's hand, a smirk on his face. "Well, lets go just inform ojiisan about you being here, and then go back to work. I don't want Kankurou to start saying we don't work."

"Yeah, I guess it's better." Zurui replied, still smiling, and Naruto nodded.

On the meantime, Hinata was giggling as some of the younger children continued with their finger painting. Since that day had become a very warm one, it was not safe to take the youngsters outside, therefore Hinata had been obliged to come up with something fun. Finger painting had been something she had done when she had been a child, and since Hinata had always found it funny, she had decided to give it a try.

Hinata was alone though; Temari had been forced to leave the hospital because she needed to prepare some reports, Hana was somewhere unknown. Not that she minded, but since she was alone to take care of children, Hinata could not help but get worried. After all, if something happened, it would be her fault…

"Oi! You there!"

In confusion Hinata looked up, only to meet a pair of dark orange coloured eyes. Long ice-blue streaks were falling down to a slim waist, a pale hand resting on a hip. For a moment Hinata could not help but wonder who the person standing by the doors of the nursery was. Hinata was certain she not supposed to have a partner during the next hour…

"Hai?" Hinata questioned as she stood up, her eyes never leaving the girl's, who slowly stepped forward. "Do you need anything?"

"You're Hyuuga Hinata, right?" the girl asked, and Hinata nodded in agreement while she glanced at the giggling children. "Oh, finally! I was looking _everywhere_ for you! My name is Kotone, and I'm supposed to give you a hand today!"

"O-Oh, I didn't know." Hinata spoke, a hint of surprise in her voice, and the other girl chuckled. "I hum…how long are you going to stay? I-I mean, I think a friend of mine is going to show up soon, so…"

"No biggy, when she arrives, I'll just leave." Kotone interrupted, and Hinata blinked before nodding in agreement. "So, want to introduce me to the kids? I don't think they'll be too happy for seeing a stranger around here."

"Oh, hai."

"But first of all, you're from Konohagakure, right?" Kotone questioned before chuckling, and Hinata blinked again. "Stupid question, of course you are, your headband proves it. So let me ask you something else, are you friends with Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Hai." Hinata replied timidly, her eyes darting to the floor as she started remembering the blond.

"Cool! I always wanted to meet him; do you think you can introduce us?" Kotone asked suddenly, hands clasped in front of her chest, a wide smile on her face, and Hinata looked up at her. "Please say yes, Naruto is like my hero!"

"May I ask why?" Hinata questioned, entitling her head to the side, and Kotone's smile grew even wider as she nodded enthusiastically.

"Everyone has heard about Uzumaki Naruto; I mean, c'mon, he goes to every country and every village to help people!" Kotone started, speaking at an incredible high speed. "And, like, people tell me he's sooo _hot!_ But some say he's just a clumsy ninja. But anyway, I _so_ want to meet him, and I am so lucky for knowing someone who knows him!"

When Kotone stopped rambling, Hinata could swear that silence had fallen on the nursery regardless of all the noise the children were making. Hinata had never thought she would meet someone who saw Naruto differently from everyone else, but what was puzzling her more was the strange sensation that had possessed her body at the point of making Hinata clench her fist.

It was not as if Hinata had something against the girl; in fact, how could she hold something against someone she did not even know? But the way she was speaking about Naruto made Hinata feel uneasy…_extremely_ uneasy.

"Oi, you there?" Kotone questioned suddenly, waving a hand in front of Hinata, who blushed when she snapped from her thoughts. "Gee, since you're a medical-nin, you should know better than dozing off when around children. Are you sick or something?"

"Hum, no." Hinata replied, still blushing slightly, and Kotone sent her one last suspicious glance before deciding to accept her answer. "So hum…I guess you want to get acquainted with the children, eh?"

"Yep! Start the introductions!"

»«»«»«

With a deep breath, Hana fell on her knees and raised her hands in front of her chin as if she was praying. Closing her eyes, Hana started focusing all her chakra on her feet (since they were connected with the sand) before muttering something, the chakra spreading through the sand, going deeper into the ground. When she reached what she was looking for, Hana opened her eyes, and water erupted around her, encircling her before going up towards the sky.

However, as soon as it had come, the water returned back to the sand, and Hana fell on her knees at same time she rested her hands on the sand in order not to fall on her face. Her chest was moving up and down as if she had just run a marathon, drops of sweat rolling down her face as Hana kept wheezing, desperately trying to calm her heart down.

As she closed her eyes again, Hana took various deep breathes before straightening up, and then raised her head to the sky. She was very pathetic indeed; she was even failing to do that jutsu…the one Shikamaru had thought that she could control.

There was indeed no wonder why Shikamaru was behaving so strangely around her.

"Again…"

Slowly Hana stood up again, and returned to her original position, ignoring the fact she was shaking slightly due to the large amount of chakra she had just lost. If she wanted to make this right…if she wanted to show Shikamaru that she was thankful for all those times he had spent trying to help her, she had to do this. She had to keep trying and trying until she could do it right.

Once again, Hana muttered something under her breath, but this time it took more of her to allow the chakra to start sinking into the sand. She had to reach the water that was underneath it all…she had to use it, and make it reach surface like a fountain.

She _had_ to do it.

"H-Help…"

In confusion, Hana opened her eyes again, and started looking around. She was positive she had hear something, but no one was around her. In fact, Hana had chosen to be close to that cliff because it was further enough not to cause any damage to anyone, but close just in case something happened.

When she saw nothing, Hana took a deep breath, and was ready to start everything all-over again when the same whisper for help echoed in her ears. This time, however, Hana turned around rather shakily, and started looking around. She was certainly not going crazy, so someone had to be close to her.

"P-please…"

It was then that she heard a _thump_, and Hana gasped when she saw a lump lying on the sand. Despite of her lack of energy, Hana forced herself to approach the person, and she gasped again when she saw the wounds. It was a boy, no older than her, with wounds covering all the visible flesh while his clothes were ragged and torn.

Carefully not do hurt him more, Hana turned the boy to her since he had fallen on his stomach, and her eyes widened when she saw the deep gashes on his face. His left eye was swollen and purple, dry blood had stopped streaming down his lips, his cheeks red from being slapped too many times.

"Hold on…" Hana whispered as she checked his pulse, and breathed in relief when she noticed he was still alive. However, there was a problem; she was too weak to carry him to the village, and he was in no condition to be left alone. The only solution was for Hana to stay there with him, using the rest of her chakra to try to heal some of his wounds, and hope that someone would notice she was missing and come look for her.

"Please, talk to me." Hana begged in a soft tone as pale green chakra involved her hands, and she rested her fingers on the boy's chest. "Please, what's your name?"

"I…I…" the boy took a deep breath, and opened his right eye, the one who had not suffered any critical damage. "My name…I'm…Kaleo…"

"Alright, Kaleo, my name's Hana." the girl started when Kaleo trailed off, and tried to take another deep breath. "I want you to tell me who did this to you, and what hurts the most so that I can try to heal your wounds."

Hana knew that it was foolish for her to say this; her chakra level was extremely low, and it was already taking a lot of her to take care of the boy's less important wounds. To cure the worst ones would probably make her feel too exhausted to hold on until aid arrived.

"My…my chest hurts…" Kaleo started, and Hana closed her eyes as she tried to canalize all her chakra to her hands. "My legs…I can't feel them, and…I can't see…my left eye…"

"Who did this to you?" Hana asked as she opened her eyes, and started observing the boy's wounds, and Kaleo coughed before groaning in pain. "Please, I know this hurts, but you need to stay awake. Talk to me, please…"

"I…I don't know who…did this to me…" Kaleo continued, opening his right eye very slightly, and Hana looked back at him when she noticed he was watching her. "My sister, she's…she's here, and I w-wanted to see her, and then…I don't know…"

"Did you notice from where they came from?" Hana questioned, feeling tiredness starting to consume her body, but she refused to give in. She had to keep on healing Kaleo's wounds until someone showed up; Kaleo would most likely die if she dozed off because she was too weak to stay up.

"I…I'm not sure…Otogakure I think…I'm not sure…"

Otogakure… Village Hidden in Sound…

"No Kaleo, don't fall asleep!" Hana exclaimed suddenly when she felt the boy getting weaker, and she moved her hands up so that they were resting just above his heart. "Please Kaleo, stay with me! Tell me about your sister. You said you had come here to visit her. What does she do?"

"K-Kotone…" Kaleo whispered after a long time, and Hana released a breath she had not noticed she had been holding. "She-She's a medical-nin…ironic, eh?"

"I guess…" Hana whispered, and she tried to smile only to feel that she did not have enough energy even for a ghost smile. When she understood that she was probably not going to be able to hold on for long, Hana gazed at the sky, and closed her eyes.

'_Someone, please, find us…'_

»«»«»«

With a sigh Shikamaru closed the door of apartment behind him, and immediately walked to the kitchen. With a quick movement with his wrist, he opened the blueprints, and stared down at them, thoughts running through his brain at full speed. The structure of the hospital was well designed as well as the rest, and now it was time to start thinking about what was to be done inside the west wing. What would become the rooms, the offices and consulting rooms…everything.

Without looking away from the blueprints, Shikamaru took the pencil that was behind his ear, and immediately started writing and drawing on the blueprints. He had asked for those so that he could analyze them, think about them, and then write and draw his thoughts on them.

"Shikamaru, are you hungry?" a voice questioned suddenly, and the boy glanced at the door of the kitchen only to see Hinata standing there. "I can do something for you."

"No, it's alright, all I want is to focus on this right now." Shikamaru replied, and Hinata nodded as she walked to his side. "Are Naruto and Hana back yet?"

"Naruto-kun is taking a bath, but I haven't seen Hana today." Hinata replied as she observed the blueprints. "She left before I was up."

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered as he turned his attention back to the blueprints again, "You're usually up around five am, according to Neji, so for Hana to be up before you…tsk, such a drag."

"Ah, fresh and ready for another round!" Naruto's voice shouted suddenly, and the two ninja stared at the door only to see Naruto standing there, wearing his usual black and orange outfit, drops of water still falling from his hair. Then, there was a growling side, and Naruto laughed in nervousness. "Pardon me."

"Oh, I'll take care of dinner." Hinata spoke up when she understood that it had been Naruto's stomach that had growled, and she licked her lips. "Hum…want me to try to do ramen, Naruto-kun?"

"Oh yes, please!" Naruto exclaimed, and Hinata giggled at his behaviour before turning to the stove while the blond strolled to Shikamaru's side, and stared at what was displayed on the table.

"Man, staring at this is enough to give me a headache. How do you do it?" Naruto questioned as he stared at the blueprints, and Shikamaru sighed at his question. "Well, never mind; put those things aside so that we can put the table. Hey, where's Hana?"

"She hasn't arrived yet." Hinata replied, still turned to the counter, and Naruto blinked before shrugging as he turned to a kitchen cabinet, and started taking some plates from inside. Shikamaru, on the meantime, was rolling the blueprints, but his mind was focused on the missing member.

Last time Hana had stood up so early had been when he was teaching her a jutsu he had thought just for her. It was a very dangerous jutsu, and at the beginning Shikamaru had not been sure about telling Hana about it. However, Shikamaru had always known that all Hana needed was to trust more in herself, and so he ended up explaining what she was supposed to do to improve it.

Shikamaru had always warned Hana never to train that jutsu alone because he knew it would take too much of her, and it could be dangerous for her to wander around without any energy. He knew that Hana was not stupid at the point of going to train by herself, but now that he had noticed it was already dinner time he could not help but worry.

What if she had indeed left to train by herself?

Suddenly there was a knock, and Shikamaru waved a hand indicating for Naruto and Hinata to stay while he walked out of the kitchen. As he walked Shikamaru continued to think about the medical-nin from Takigakure; what if she had left to train without warning him? He was the leader of that mission, he was supposed to know where his comrades were all the time so how on earth had he lost a medical-nin?

"What are you doing here?" Shikamaru questioned after opening the door, and face non-other than Rock Lee himself. He looked tired, his tanned face now rather flushed while his breathing indicating that he had been running. "I thought it was Sakura who was coming."

"You have to come to the hospital, Shikamaru." Lee started, panting very slightly, and the other ninja arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Sakura-san and I were just arriving when we found Hana-san at the top of the mountains, healing a guy. She fainted when she saw us."

"What?" Shikamaru asked in surprise, "Damn it. Naruto and Hinata are in the kitchen, go inform them immediately. I'm going to the hospital."

"Hai." was all Lee had time to say because Shikamaru immediately stormed out of the apartment, running as fast as he could towards the hospital.

If something had happened to Hana he would never forgive himself. He was the leader of that group; he was supposed to keep his comrades safe until the end of the mission. He was supposed to keep _her_ safe. Shikamaru had promised Chouji he would keep an eye on her all the time, and he had made that promise to himself too, and he was already failing to keep it.

"Troublesome woman…" Shikamaru muttered as he finally stormed inside the hospital, and after questioning the receptionist about the room where Hana was, Shikamaru darted to the next floor.

"_Sakura-san and I were just arriving when we found Hana-san at the top of the mountains, healing a guy. She fainted when she saw us."_

Fainted… She had been trying to do the jutsu alone!

After running up the stairs, Shikamaru darted left, and continued running at full speed, his eyes searching for the correct number on the door. When he finally spotted it, Shikamaru immediately turned the doorknob, and stepped inside only to freeze when he saw Kankurou next to the bed, talking to a pale looking Hana.

"What on earth is going in here?" Shikamaru heard himself ask before he could stop himself, and both Kankurou and Hana looked at him.

"Shikamaru …" Hana whispered in a hoarse voice as she sat up against the white pillows behind her back, but her eyes had turned to the blanket as she managed to sat straight.

"I'll leave you two alone." Kankurou spoke up before gazing at Hana when she looked up at him, Shikamaru failing to see her expression since her hair had fallen down her shoulder. "I'll come see you tomorrow."

"Thank you, Kankurou-san." Hana thanked, and the Suna ninja smiled at her before touching her cheek, and then he left the room, glancing at Shikamaru for a second. When Kankurou closed the door behind him, an uncomfortable silence fell inside the room, and Shikamaru stuffed his hands inside his pockets.

"Shikamaru …"

"You're such a troublesome woman." the young man interrupted, but Hana continued looking down as he approached the bed. "What on earth were you thinking about going alone? Are you insane?"

"No, I was jus-"

"I always told you _never_ to go practice that jutsu on your own." Shikamaru continued, ignoring the girl's words, and he stopped when he reached the bed, staring at Hana, who still refused to meet his gaze. "But then you decide to be all troublesome, and go train all by yourself. What if Sakura and Lee hadn't showed up? Do you understand the danger you would be in?"

"I could leave the boy alone!" Hana spoke up, finally looking up, revealing her pink cheeks and her red eyes. "I couldn't just abandon him with all those wounds! I had to try to take care of him!"

"After losing most of your chakra?" Shikamaru questioned, in a harsh tone, and Hana looked down. "I never thought you would do this! What would Chouji think of me if something had happened to you? What would everyone think of me if you had died out there just because you suddenly decided to be like Naruto, and be a pain?"

When those words left his lips, Shikamaru winced internally. Now that had come out wrong, but when he opened his mouth to speak, he saw a small drop hitting the blanket while Hana kept her head down. No, he refused to believe that Hana was…

"That came out wrong, Hana, I…"

"Just leave, Shikamaru-san."

At that Shikamaru winced, this time visibly. He knew he had crossed the line, but as the leader, he had to show when his companions were wrong. It was not as if he liked to do it; in fact, he had never asked to be a Jounin and the leader.

"What's going on in here?" a voice asked suddenly, and Shikamaru looked over his shoulder only to face Mairi. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to leave."

In silence Shikamaru looked to Hana again, only to see that she was still looking down, and then he sighed. Perhaps he had overreacted, but Shikamaru knew better than saying something. He never knew how to act when women started crying on him.

After a short nod, Shikamaru left the room, and closed the door soundlessly behind him. When he looked up, however, he came face-to-face with two worried Naruto and Hinata. Next to them, looking anxious, were Lee and Sakura.

"How is she?" Hinata asked in her quiet tone, but Shikamaru simply gazed at her before sighing. Then, without any other word, he started walking down the hall, towards the stairs. Sometimes, _he_ was the idiot who found it too troublesome to admit that he was the one who had done a mistake.

**To Be Continued…**


	10. Skips in Time

**Disclaimer:** Everything here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own my own characters and the plot of this fic. Nothing else is mine.

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I want to thank **FreeTheKyuubi**, **Brazilian Phoenix**, **SGCred**, **HT**, **Terenin**, **star's dreams**, **AlexiaWinters** _and_ **DanteHyuuga** for everything. I just want to apology for the short chapter ahead, and for taking so long to update this fic.

»«»«»«

**Chapter 10**

Skips in Time

"Arigatou, Sakura-san." the old lady thanked with a small bow, but the pink haired girl simply smiled before bowing in return. "We have been so blessed for having such young and polite young adults taking care of us. Not that the Suna medicals aren't polite, but it warms my old heart to see that some things are universal."

"Please, take care Minako-san." Sakura spoke as she helped the old lady to stand up from the stretcher, the smile still on her face. "And please remember that it is very important for you to come back every two months."

"Yes, child, I'll remember it." the old woman answered before smiling warmly at Sakura, and slowly make her way out of the consulting room.

With a small chuckle, Sakura started preparing everything for the next patient, but as she moved things around, she could not help but think about what had happened. Almost three months had passed ever since Naruto and the others had arrived to Sunagakure, and two months and one week since she and Lee had showed up.

The west wing of the hospital was almost finished; the carpenters and architects were already taking care of the interior, and it had been said that in less than two weeks everything would be ready. However, even though the boys (including Lee, who had expressed his wish of helping out in the construction) were delighted by such news, they were also worried about other things.

Sakura was about to reach for a tray when her hands stopped in mid-air. Yes, she had been told about what Naruto had said that he had seen in the small festival the village had done for the population. Sakura had been told how Naruto kept stating that he had seen Sasuke, and of how the blond almost abandoned his mission to go look after his childhood friend.

Personally Sakura did not know what to think. Every time she remembered Sasuke, she would recall all those nice times she had spent with him and her team, but she would also remember how Sasuke had left. And it pained her to think that Sasuke had deserted everything just because of his urge for power.

And every time she would remember Sasuke's reasons that lead to his departure, Sakura would often wonder if her love had ever been as strong as she believed it to be. Not that she had expected for her love alone to be enough for the Uchiha to stay, but Sakura had always hoped it was enough to make him reconsider.

But Sakura had been proven wrong.

And her heart ached because of it.

But then something positive had happened in her life. Even though Sasuke had left, Lee had walked in. The unique guy had managed to do something that no one else had been able to do; true, Naruto had given Sakura a reason never to give up, but Lee had always been there for her when Sakura most needed a shoulder to cry on.

At the beginning Sakura had been uncomfortable for using Lee, especially since she was aware of his feelings for her, but as time passed by, Sakura had to admit that Lee had gained a special place in her heart. But Sakura had also explained Lee that despite of everything, she still thought of Sasuke. And what had surprised Sakura after her confession was that Lee understood.

And Sakura did remember the way he had smiled at her when she had spoken her thoughts.

As she shook her head slightly, Sakura forced herself to snap from her thoughts, and with a deep breath she forced herself to start working. Her mind, however, started recalling her friends; Naruto and Hinata. Shikamaru and Hana. Gaara and his siblings…

The time she now spent around her friends had helped Sakura to see things she had neglected before. She had been able to notice how Naruto and Hinata were still growing closer, and sometimes Sakura could swear that Naruto pretended to be dense just to tease Hinata.

On one hand, Sakura was happy to see that Naruto was finally growing up. Mentally that is, because she knew that Naruto was conscious that he had physically developed into a very nice looking guy. On the other hand, Sakura still got annoyed every time Naruto made a silly remark, because most of the time he was too lazy to process the information that someone could be giving him.

Yet Sakura had noticed that every time Hinata came up in a conversation or was around Naruto, the blond would try to behave as if he was the best. And such, obviously, always ended up in the most hilarious situations, and most of them with Hinata tending a hurt Naruto.

Now Shikamaru and Hana were a whole different story. Sakura did not know what had happened inside the hospital on the day she had found Hana treating the wounded boy by the cliff, but it certainly had not been good. Ever since she had arrived that Sakura had noticed that Shikamaru and Hana only spoke when it was necessary, and did their best to avoid each other even in the apartment.

At the beginning Sakura (and everyone else) had believed that the tension between the two would disappear rather quickly, but when that did not happen everyone started to get worried. Everyone knew (even Naruto had noticed!) how close Shikamaru and Hana were, and to see them not speaking to each other did make all the Leaf ninja wonder about what could be done to stop their behaviour.

Until that moment, however, all attempts had failed.

"Sakura-san!" a hyper voice exclaimed suddenly, and the medical-nin looked over her shoulder only to gaze at a pair of dark orange coloured eyes. "C'mon, it's lunch time. What are you waiting for?"

"Eh?"

"Gee, you forgot? We're supposed to have lunch together, today!" Kotone exclaimed excitedly, "The boys are already waiting outside, and Naruto just went to call Hinata. Lee was about to come here too, but I told him to wait."

"Are Hana and Shikamaru coming as well?" Sakura questioned, and Kotone tapped a finger against her chin as she looked up at the ceiling, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Well, Lee did say something about having to drag Shikamaru, so I think he's coming." Kotone spoke after a few moments, and Sakura turned to her. "But Hana disappeared before I got the chance to talk to her, so I don't think she's coming with us."

That answer did not surprise Sakura; one of them _always_ managed to snuck away.

"How's your brother?" Sakura questioned as the two young women walked out of the consulting-room, and quietly made their way down the hall, and Kotone shrugged.

"Hana says he's fine." the girl replied as she pulled an ice-blue streak away from her face, Sakura watching her in silence. "I just don't understand why she's the one taking care of him when I'm here."

"You know we can't allow family to take care of relatives." Sakura started, and Kotone sighed. "It goes against the principals, because you'll tend to listen more to your heart rather than your mind."

"Yeah, yeah, but gee…" Kotone muttered, and Sakura smiled at her as she chuckled. "Hana told me he just needs to do a couple of sessions and then he's free. This visit of him sure has been interesting."

"Well, boredom has never been in our agendas." Sakura replied, and Kotone looked at her by the corner of her eyes before shrugging. "Now c'mon, I already can hear Naruto complaining that we're taking too long."

"My stomach is complaining too!" Kotone exclaimed, and on that precise moment, a growl broke the silence, and she shrugged. "See? Mind you, this is all your fault."

"Fine, I'll buy you something as a way of apologizing." Sakura replied before laughing when Kotone shouted 'ice cream'.

»«»«»«

He silently crossed his arms against his chest, his cyan coloured eyes watching the children playing in the park with a football. Watching them made him remember his past, but to hear them laughing made him think about the future. About what could be done to improve the village, and to offer more comfort and stability to all families.

As a warm wind started playing with his spiky hair, Gaara rested his elbows on his legs, his eyes never leaving the children. Sometimes he did wonder if he would be too different if he had grown up like everyone else, but then Gaara would think that that did not matter anymore. After all, he was used to be seen as someone different.

When a familiar giggle reached his ears, Gaara glanced at a little girl with cobalt-blue hair. Over the time he had grown closer to her and her older sister. Gaara did not know why, but he believed it had to do with the fact he actually did not feel bothered by looking weak when around them. Maiko was obviously too young to understand, but Mairi's way of behaving when with him did continue to surprise Gaara.

As someone who was not from Sunagakure, Mairi was supposed to fear him even though he longer was a container, but she did not. She had never looked afraid…she had never flinched or stuttered when around him. The only time Gaara had seen her embarrassed had been when he had questioned her about love.

And even though two months had already passed ever since that small questionnaire, Gaara still did not know why he had asked her that of all people. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact she was not from Suna; because of that she did not know much people, therefore she would not mention his questions to anyone, but then again, Gaara had better things to do than to understand what had possessed him to talk to someone that, at the time, was a stranger to him.

"Gaara-sama?"

Silently Gaara moved his head so that his eyes meet a pair of indigo ones. For a moment they just stood staring at each other, Mairi standing while Gaara continued sitting on the bench, until the Kazekage nodded, and the young medical-nin sat beside him.

"I just got your results, Gaara-sama." Mairi started, Gaara's attention focused on the children again, although he was listening to every word. "I thought you should be informed right away, and… Gaara-sama, I need you to be honest with me, have you or have you not tried to sleep?"

That subject always came up. Gaara simply did not know what else to say or do to make Mairi realise that he did not sleep. It was not in his nature, besides he had spent all his life not sleeping so it was not that much of a problem to him to stay up all the time. Mairi, however, did not agree with him in that matter.

"Gaara-sama, please…" Mairi whispered suddenly, and Gaara looked up when he felt something on his arm. Looking to whatever could be touching, he blinked when he saw it was a hand, and when he looked up, he saw worry on Mairi's face. He had grown up used to her worry too, but to have her touching him…that had never happened before…at least, not outside the hospital.

"I don't sleep."

"You never tried! The only time you actually relax is when you're unconscious!" Mairi exclaimed, and Gaara turned to the children again, but his mind was focused on the hand touching his arm. "Gaara-sama, the results show that anything can trigger the pains; you're body is too exhausted to try to fight the lack of chakra, and if you don't rest things _will_ get worse!"

"…Why are you so worried about me?" Gaara questioned. That was a question he had always intended to ask the medical-nin; ever since he had became her patient that Mairi seemed to be concerned about his life. Not that it bothered him, but Gaara simply was not used to have people actually taking care of him. Even his siblings' concern was still strange for him.

"I'm your friend, of course I'm worried about you!"

Suddenly Gaara looked up at Mairi in time to feel her hand leave his arm, but when he tried to gaze at her eyes, the young woman looked down. Friend? No 'I'm your doctor, its my job', no 'You're the Kazekage, it's my duty'? And right on that moment, Gaara allowed himself to think that Karim Mairi was indeed a very strange girl.

"Onee-chan!" a voice shouted suddenly, and the two young adults looked to their side in time to see Maiko running towards them, her friends following her closely. "Onee-chan, can you sing us something?"

"No dear, I'm sorry, I'm talking with Gaara-sama." Mairi answered as she waved a hand gently to the young man sitting next to her, and the little girl pouted. "And now, don't give me that look. You know he's the strongest ninja of Sunagakure, and the most important one as well, and he's my patient, so you know I have to take good care of him."

"Hai, I know, but…"

"Say, what about you eating lunch first?" Mairi questioned, interrupting her sister with a calm tone, and a smile graced Maiko's features. "I bet you're all hungry after spending the whole morning running around."

"Can Gaara-sama come with us?" Maiko asked suddenly, and Mairi glanced at Gaara (who was watching them with a blank expression on his face), and then she turned her attention back to her sister.

"Why don't you ask him?"

"Hum…okay." Maiko replied before shrugging, and then she turned to Gaara, her round eyes finding the Kazekage's immediately. "Gaara-sama, do you want to come eat with us? Please?"

For a moment Gaara just stared at Maiko, but before he could even process a thought, all children turned to him. Where those the so-called 'puppy eyes' that Temari kept telling him about? Well, even if they weren't, Gaara could not help but give in into the children's pleading look.

"…Alright."

As soon as that small word left his lips, all girls started cheering while the little boys smiled. As for Gaara, he could not help but be puzzled about their behaviour; where they really _that_ anxious? It did surprise Gaara; never, in his entire life, had someone acted to spontaneously around him. Then again, no one had ever invited him to go eat lunch either.

"Thank you for coming with us." Mairi started, and Gaara looked at her in time to see the medical-nin standing up. "We're going to eat at the hospital, though. I hope you don't mind."

"No." Gaara answered, and Mairi smiled at him before telling the children to hold each others' hands, in order to prevent them from getting lost. "…Why are you looking after them?"

"Well, their parents are either medical-nin or patients, and since I'm on my lunch break, I decided to watch over them." Mairi explained before motioning for the children to start walking. "Besides, I have to keep an eye on my sister. I have the feeling she found herself a crush."

"A…crush?" Gaara repeated before glancing at Maiko, who was holding the hand of a little boy, the two of them talking cheerfully.

"Oh you know, an infatuation." Mairi pointed out, but Gaara simply turned to her, confusion still written all-over his face, and the girl smiled. "Well, I have the feeling Maiko likes Yuki. The boy she's talking to."

"How can you be so sure?" Gaara questioned as he entitled his head slightly to the side, and Mairi chuckled.

"Well, she's always talking about him, and blushes when I tease her about it. And the fact she gets all worried when Yuki gets hurt…" Mairi trailed off, and Gaara blinked. "I know she's only a child, but it's so cute to watch them."

"So…if you keep thinking about someone, that means you like them?" Gaara questioned, and Mairi looked at him in the eye. "Kankurou once said that you have to feel something. He mentioned….butterflies."

"Ah yes, many people say that that's one of the first symptoms." Maiko said with a smile, "Your heart starts beating faster, your stomach seems to flip-flop when you're around the person…and yet some people don't need to feel anything to know that they love someone. Sometimes you just know it."

"I don't understand." Gaara started, and Mairi sighed. "Have you ever known that you just…like someone?"

"Oh no, I don't have time to fall in love." Mairi started with a small shake of her head. "At the moment I just want to help your village, and make sure that Maiko is alright while we're staying here."

"…I understand." Gaara whispered, but he suddenly grabbed the young woman's elbow, forcing her to stop. Then, he rose a hand, and a shield of sand covered the children, who screamed in surprise.

Then, there was an explosion.

**To Be Continued…**


	11. Dark Shadows of the Day

**Disclaimer:** Everything here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. However, the unknown characters and the plot are mine.

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I want to thank **Terenin**, **AlexiaWinters**, **FreeTheKyuubi**, **SGCred** _and_ **The Elven-Spear** for everything. I would be very lost without your support.

»«»«»«

**Chapter 11**

Dark Shadows of the Day

She did not understand what was going on. She was supposed to be over that kind of stuff, after all, she was no longer a little girl with a silly crush. But no matter what message she tried to send to both her heart and mind, Hinata still had her hands closed into strong fists as they continued resting on her lap.

Who cared if Kotone kept trying to feed Naruto? Hinata knew that her bond with Naruto was stronger now.

Who cared if Naruto had spent the whole lunch talking to Kotone? He and Hinata talked everyday, all the time.

Who cared if Naruto was completely oblivious about the fact that Kotone was flirting with him? Well, Hyuuga Hinata cared, and that was exactly why she was feeling so…so…argh!

"Naruto-kun, do you want to help me finish this ice cream?" Kotone asked suddenly in a sweet tone, and Hinata looked down when she saw Naruto nod with a smile.

Why did it hurt so much to see Naruto getting along so well with Kotone? Hinata knew that Naruto was like a magnet, always drawing people to him even unconsciously. But Kotone… Hinata could say that the two of them were friends, and the Hyuuga heiress had to admit that Kotone was really sweet despite of the huge amount of sugar that seemed to be in her system all the time.

And Hinata was also aware of Kotone's feelings towards Naruto; the girl had no problem in expressing them in public, though Naruto did not seem to notice the motive behind the girl's behaviour.

Slowly, Hinata dared to gaze up only to look down at her knees again when she saw Kotone feeding Naruto. Perhaps that was her problem; she was too damn shy while Kotone was too out-going. Besides, Hinata was too insecure about herself while Kotone seemed to be aware of her good looks.

"So, Shikamaru, when are you going to apology to Hana-san?" Lee questioned suddenly, and Hinata looked up at the Nara boy while an uncomfortable silence surrounded the whole group.

Hinata was aware that for quite some time everyone had been trying to find a way of asking Shikamaru about Hana, but it seemed as if something always interrupted them. However, now that Lee had actually asked it, everyone was expecting to hear the answer.

"Tsk, don't be annoying." Shikamaru muttered with his hands behind his neck as he leaned against the back of his chair. "That doesn't concern you."

"That's where you're wrong!" Sakura cut in, and Hinata gazed at the girl who was sitting next to her. Uh-oh, Hinata had noticed _it_; the annoyed hint in Sakura's voice. "You two are best friends, and you're allowing jealousy to corrupt what you guys have!"

"Stop being so troublesome…"

"And you have to stop behaving like this!" Sakura snapped, but as soon as those words left her lips, the sound of an explosion echoed through the whole restaurant at same time the ground shook, and everyone immediately started looking through the windows.

"That came from the hospital!"

»«»«»«

"We have talked about this Baki, and you know there's no mistake." Kakashi started as he gazed up from the paper that was resting on the desk. "It took Ibiki almost two months, and Anko herself made the search."

"But you must understand there's absolutely no reason for Sunagakure to be a target." Baki spoke in his deep voice. "The right procedures are being taken cared of, but this information is irrelevant to this village. Konohagakure was the one that messed with the wrong clan."

"Are you forgetting that Suna is bonded to Konoha? Together, both villages are the strongest." Kakashi pointed out, his left hand resting on his hip. "And don't forget there are Leaf shinobi here. We have to look after them."

"Like I said, the right procedures are being taken cared of, but beware that if something is to happen to Suna, the Council won't take this situation lightly." Baki said, but before Kakashi could say something in reply, two hands slammed against the table.

"This is what I hate about you, military men; you tend to think about what others will think if you decide something wrongly." Mesi snapped, looking extremely annoyed. "Just warn your guards, Baki, we need to keep a sharp eye."

"But to inform us that someone may eventually attack Suna…" Baki stared down at the paper on the table, before looking at both Leaf Jounin. "I have no reason not to believe in you, and Konoha is indeed our best ally so I'm going to take care of security myself. Inform Konoha that I need more details about this possible invasion; to say that a member from a whipped out clan may come to avenge what was done is not very conclusive."

Suddenly there was a muffled sound of an explosion, and moments later the ground shook violently. However, before someone could move, the door of the office burst open, revealing a sand shinobi.

"Sir, there was an explosion in the park!"

"What?" Baki questioned in both shock and astonishment, and then a mask of anger took over his surprised expression. "Gaara-sama is there!"

»«»«»«

That was such a constant melody, with the right pauses and correct beat. It seemed as if it held enough power to warm her up, but she quickly realised that the two arms around her torso were also another reason to why she was feeling so warm.

And the sense of protection was there too.

Slowly, Mairi rose her head up, and felt the tip of her nose touching Gaara's cheek. His eyes were closed shut, his expression stoic, but before Mairi could say something, a groan escaped from Gaara's lips.

"Gaara-sama!" Mairi exclaimed when she felt Gaara quiver against her, and before she knew it, the boy was falling on his knees, dragging her with him.

When Mairi's knees touched the ground, something fell on the girl's shoulder, and the medical-nin looked up only to face sand. In confusion, Mairi gazed around, and quickly realized that the two of them were inside a cocoon of sand. A cocoon that quickly started to fall apart.

Without thinking twice, Mairi pressed Gaara's face against her chest, and lowered her head right when the sand that was above them started to collapse. It was only when she stopped feeling sand falling on her that Mairi rose her head again, sand streaming down her neck, down her clothes. That went unnoticed though, due to another groan.

"Gaara-sama." Mairi called-out as she looked down at the Kazekage while still holding him against her chest, Gaara's arms still resting around her waist. "Gaara-sama, please, I need to check on you."

"…I'm alright…" Gaara whispered after a short silence, but they continued in the same position. "…The children?"

As she looked to her side, Mairi saw a second cocoon, but this time, that one fell to the sides so that it would not fall on top of the children. When the group of youngsters emerged, Mairi breathed in relief, and looked down at Gaara again.

"They're alright." she informed before resting both her hands on Gaara's face, and gently she helped him to look up at her. "Please, allow me to check if everything is alright with you."

"Kazekage-sama!" a voice spoke suddenly, and both Mairi and Gaara looked to their sides only to see Baki, Kakashi and Mesi running towards them. "Call for the emergency team immediately!"

"…No, I'm fine." Gaara spoke suddenly, but Mairi felt him shiver when he dropped his arms, and stood up rather shakily. "Take care of the children."

Suddenly there was a second explosion, and while the adults twirled in direction of the hospital, the children started screaming again. Before someone could say something, however, both Kakashi and Mesi started running towards the building. When she saw that Gaara was going to follow them though, Mairi reached out for his arm only to hear him groan again in pain.

"If you truly must go, then at least allow me to go with you." Mairi requested, and Gaara stared at her with his emotionless expression before nodding slightly.

"I must go with you." Baki started, but he was forced to quiet down when Gaara stared at him still with his stoic expression. Then, understanding the mute words, Baki nodded. "I'll send backup right away, and I'll meet you as soon as the children are safe."

Mairi was about to say something, when Gaara started walking. All she wanted was to make sure Maiko was alright, but Mairi was conscious that she had been given an opportunity that she could not decline.

"Gaara-sama, you're shaking." Mairi pointed out, concern visible in her words even though she was doing her best to behave like a true medical-nin. "You must let me check if everything's alright."

"…The hospital is more important." Gaara said as they walked, and Mairi gazed at the cloud of smoke that was coming from the hospital. "This first explosion was a warning, but to attack the hospital simultaneously doesn't make any sense."

As she heard Gaara show his masked worry towards his village and villagers, Mairi could not help but look at him and see a man instead of the boy he was. She had been told about his past, and had inclusive read some information in the library, but still none of them seemed enough when compared to Gaara himself.

All Mairi hoped was that she could take care of him just like he was taking care of his village. He deserved that, though it seemed as if Gaara himself was not aware of it.

»«»«»«

"Get those people out of here!" Temari shouted as she pointed to her left. Next to her, were various shinobi using water ninjutsu in order to throw water at the west wing as flames continued to swallow all the work that had taken almost three months to be completed.

"Temari!"

At her name, the blonde kunoichi turned to the entrance of the hospital only to see Kankurou coming out while holding two men, one on each shoulder.

"Is everyone out?" Temari questioned, and she mentally groaned when Kankurou shook his head. "I'll go with you then."

"No, you have to take care of them." Kankurou said as he dropped the two men carefully on the ground. "I'll go inside. You stay here, and help everybody else."

"Wait!" Temari called-out, raising a hand, but she growled when Kankurou turned around, and run back inside of the hospital.

Damn him and his reckless decisions!

"Temari!" a new voice shouted, and the ninja swirled around, and saw Konoha shinobi running towards her. "What the hell is going on in here?"

"I don't know! I was just walking in when the west wing blew up, and I was thrown backwards." Temari quickly explained, "Kankurou just went back in."

"I'll go check the wounded." Sakura informed, and Hinata quickly joined her as the two of them started to examine the two men Kankurou had just saved.

"Where's Hana-san?" Lee inquired as he gazed around, and Shikamaru glanced at Temari in time to see her shaking her head. "What? She's still inside?"

"I'll go get her!" Naruto exclaimed, but he felt himself unable to move as soon as those words left his lips. In confusion, everyone stared at Shikamaru when they saw the black shadow connecting Naruto's feet to the Nara boy's. "What the hell are you doing?"

"_I'm_ going in, everyone else just focus on the fire." Shikamaru instructed in a tone that left no space for objections, but it was only after a moment that Naruto nodded, and the shadow disappeared.

"Wait! Look!" Lee shouted as he pointed at the entrance of the hospital, and everyone stared at it only to see Hana emerging from the smoke while helping a boy and holding a child against her with her free arm.

"Kaleo!" Kotone yelled suddenly before rushing to Hana, Lee following her closely while Naruto shouted 'Kage Bushin no Jutsu', and twenty shadow clones appeared in clouds of smoke.

"Alright guys, lets stop this fire!" Naruto commanded in a shout, and all the other Narutos cheered before running towards the fire.

"Sloth, stop gawking and do something." Temari ordered before going after all the Narutos, and Shikamaru snapped from his thoughts only to notice to whom he had been staring at during the whole time.

"C'mon Hana, you're hurt." Lee spoke as he took the little boy from the medical-nin's arms, while Kotone lead her brother away from the fire.

"No, I have to go back!" Hana said as she moved backwards. "Kankurou is still inside, I have to go help him!"

"Kankurou-san knows what he's doing so c'mon!" Lee said as he grabbed Hana's arm, and started pulling her with him carefully enough not to worsen the cut in her arm.

However, when Hana and Lee were just reaching Shikamaru's side, there was a small crack, and everyone stared at the west wing only to see it falling apart.

"Kankurou is still inside!" Hana exclaimed, and Shikamaru glanced at her dirty face before clenching both his hands into strong fists. Then, for the first time in his life, Shikamaru decided to act on instinct, and as he ignored everyone who was calling his name, the boy started running towards the flames.

**To Be Continued…**


	12. Our Frozen Moment

**Disclaimer:** Everything here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own my own characters and the plot of this fic. Nothing else is mine.

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Finally, after a long time struggling with my muses, I managed to find some time to write this chapter. I have actually been thinking about this ever since I wrote chapter 11th, but college has been such a pain that I simply did not manage to find enough time to finish this. I hope you guys can forgive me, and I hope you like this. I actually enjoyed writing it.

Thanks for everything guys!

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**Chapter 12**

Our Frozen Moment

The sound of something hard meeting a wall broke the silence that had fallen on the hall. In silence, various eyes glanced to the left side, and saw Naruto with his closed fist stuck into the wall. An angry look was on his face as he gritted his teeth in rage, a murdering glint on his eyes.

"What the hell is going on?" the blond asked in a high tone, and he punched the wall again. "What's happening?"

"Naruto, stop damaging the wall." Kakashi stated without looking up from his book, "We're trying to find out what happened, but having you ruining another wall won't help."

"How can you be so calm? The freaking ceiling _fell on top_ of them!" Naruto exclaimed, and Kakashi finally looked up at him, everyone watching them in silence. "They're in a damn room of a school because the hospital almost burned down completely!"

"And that's exactly why we can't allow ourselves to do what you're doing." Kakashi pointed out, and Naruto turned to him while dropping his hand. "If you want to help, then stop complaining, and start working."

"Then, please, tell us what to do." Lee spoke suddenly, looking up at Kakashi since he was sitting down on a chair. "I'm afraid I'm going to start doing the same as Naruto if you don't tell us what we should do."

"You can go help at the hospital." Kakashi indicated, focusing his attention back to the book he was still holding. "I understand you're worried about Kankurou and Shikamaru, but you also know who's taking care of them. Don't you think it's time to believe in your friends?"

"I believe in Hinata! And in Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, looking annoyed about the insinuation behind his teacher's words. "Don't you dare to doubt that!"

"Then, let them work." Kakashi said still in the same calm tone as he turned the page. "Go help at the hospital. At least there you're allowed to punch whatever has survived the fire."

"Fine." Naruto hissed before glancing at Lee, who stood up, and followed the blond down the hall until they were completely out of sight.

"You shouldn't talk to them like that." Mesi spoke suddenly from the chair she was occupying, but Kakashi said nothing in return. "It's only natural for them to be worried about their friends."

"What's the 25th clause of the ninja know-how?" Kakashi asked suddenly, and Mesi glanced at him before rolling her eyes at same time she crossed her legs.

"You, of all people, really shouldn't use that clause to lecture someone." the female Jounin started, as she focused her attention on the closed doors across her position. "You, more than anyone else, should know better than telling me that a ninja shouldn't show his emotions."

"But it's true, whether it's difficult or not." Kakashi retorted, his attention still locked in his book. "And they're old enough to know how to deal with these situations."

"Hatake, they're not even off-age." Mesi stated, and Kakashi finally glanced at her. "Most of them didn't go through the same thing as you; yes, they suffered too, but they aren't used to deal with death as well as you."

"I'm not saying that they have to go through what I did, to understand my words either." Kakashi retorted, and after a sigh Mesi stood up, and crossed her arms against her chest before making her way towards the window beside the closed doors.

"So many years have passed since that day…" the female Jounin whispered as she stared through the closed window, at the crowded streets of Sunagakure, but Kakashi was still looking down at his book. "So much time has rolled by, and you…"

"What about me?" Kakashi asked, raising his eye so that he was now staring at Mesi's back, but the woman did not turn around to face him. "Be careful with what you say, you definitely have no moral to tell me what's right and what's wrong."

"Sometimes I think about them." Mesi continued, most likely ignoring Kakashi's words on purpose, and the male Jounin lowered his book. "Sometimes, I remember how Rin was always following you around, trying so desperately to make you see and return her feelings. And of course, Obito didn't enjoy how much attention Rin gave to you, and tried so frantically to show his feelings for her while trying to beat you in every little thing you had to do together."

"Why do you think about them of all people?" Kakashi questioned before he could stop himself, and Mesi glanced at the clear sky before turning to her side, so that the two of them were now staring at each other in the eye.

"You make the greatest sacrifices for the ones you love." Mesi whispered, and Kakashi felt his heart skip a beat, but the woman smiled when the words left her lips. "I remember Yodaime telling that to all teams. I remember how he would stare at his own team while uttering those words…"

"Why are you talking about that now?" Kakashi asked, feeling a little irritated about the subject in question, but Mesi shook her head before approaching him with quiet steps. "This has nothing to do with the problems we have to fix."

"I don't know how it feels to guide apprentices." Mesi started in a quiet tone, and Kakashi stuffed his book inside his pouch before pressing his arms against his chest as he continued to stare at the Jounin. "I guess that's one of the things I regret losing, but… I think one doesn't need to be a teacher to see what's going on."

"Mind going to the point?" Kakashi interrupted, and Mesi licked her lips before raising a hand, and rest it on Kakashi's arm.

"Don't force them to grow up." the woman started after a short period of time, "Don't make them do things they are not ready to do. Please, Hatake, don't make them see what we saw. You know better than anyone else how painful it is."

"They have already faced death." Kakashi started, staring at Mesi's mismatched eyes. "They have already been betrayed…"

"And that's why I'm asking you to be patient with them." Mesi said with a short nod. "They may be drifting away from you, Hatake, because they're growing up, but at the moment they need you. Naruto needs you, and I know you don't want to make them go through what you did."

"Why are you telling me this? It sounds as if I'm becoming a bad teacher or something." Kakashi commented, but he closed his mouth when Mesi raised her other hand so that her fingers were inches away from his mask.

"You're the most amazing teacher I know, Kakashi." Mesi whispered, and the male Jounin blinked at his first name. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that your students need you, and I just hope you realise that."

»«»«»«

Quietly Hinata approached the window of the room, and stared outside, a hand resting against her chest. Her clear eyes immediately found Naruto's form as the boy stormed out of the hospital, Lee following him, most likely to calm the blond down.

Mentally, Hinata sighed. She wished she could just leave everything, and go after him, but her duty stopped her from doing what her heart wanted. Hinata knew she had to take care of her friends first, and only afterwards think about herself..

But that did not stop her from imagining what could happen if she just left the room, and went after Naruto.

"Hinata."

In confusion, the Hyuuga heiress turned to her side, and felt herself go red when she noticed that Sakura had been watching her the whole time while Kotone was busy taking care of her brother.

"H-hai?" Hinata asked, desperately trying to make her blush disappear, but Sakura simply straightened up, even though a hand was still resting on Shikamaru's shoulder.

"You can go, if you want, we're pretty much done here." the pink haired girl spoke, and Hinata blinked at her words. "I'm going to stay here to help Kotone with Kaleo, and Shikamaru is pretty much asleep so there's no reason for you to be here."

"No, I need to go look at the other wounded." Hinata started as she turned her back to the window, "I mustn't allow anything to get on the way. I know what my priorities are, and I won't…I can't…"

"Just go, Hinata." Sakura interrupted the girl's rambling, before smiling faintly. "If you don't, I'm sure Naruto is just going to pick up a fight or damage the hospital even more. Besides, Mairi is just across the hall, and Hana is around too."

"But…"

"Will you just go?" a voice snapped, and both Sakura and Hinata gazed at Kotone, only to see her glaring at them. The look of anger, however, was quickly replaced by one of surprise and then of regret. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to snap, I just… My brother…"

"No, I…if you really don't mind, I think I'm going." Hinata spoke when Kotone trailed off, and she looked down as soon as she noticed the mischievous look in Sakura's eyes. "I promise I'll be back soon."

"Sure, no need to rush!" Sakura yelled the last part since Hinata had just walked towards the door, and opened it. A laugh escaped Sakura's lips when she saw Hinata drop her head before closing the door behind her, a clear signal that she was trying to hide her blush.

It did not take long for Hinata to reach the hospital, and look at the building. Three months had been spent trying to create a new wing, and now half of the hospital had burned down. Hinata knew that the incident was still being investigated, but up until that moment no one could explain how two bombs had managed to explode right in the centre of the city.

With a depressed sigh, Hinata walked through the destroyed gates, and was immediately surrounded by ninja that were desperately trying to save whatever that could be saved. Apparently, the Council had decided that it was better to demolish everything that could not be saved, and start the construction all-over again.

If that meant that her and her friends had to stay in Sunagakure, Hinata did not know, but she knew it was not the time to think about such things. It was time to help those in need, even if those people were not aware of their condition.

"Oi, be careful with that!" a voice shouted suddenly, and Hinata glanced to her side only to see a small group of carpenters screaming at someone. As she glanced up, at the unstable roof of the hospital, Hinata found herself staring at a ninja dressed in orange.

After taking a deep breath, and unconsciously close her hands into fists, Hinata started making her way towards the worried group of workers. As she continued walking, Hinata managed to see Lee talking to a carpenter, most likely ignoring Naruto's behaviour, and she licked her lips in nervousness.

What would she do as soon as she reached Naruto's side?

What would she say?

"C'mon lad, you may be a ninja, but we don't want any more wounded!" one of the workers spoke up, anxiety clear in his voice, and Hinata looked up at Naruto when she reached the small group.

Okay, she was there, and Naruto was standing right in front of her, apparently trying to save some part of the roof.

What was she supposed to do now?

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called-out in the highest tone she could muster in her condition, and a pair of sapphire-blue eyes looked down at her almost immediately. "I hum…do you think you can come down? I hum… I-I would like to talk to you."

"Hinata, I'm working."

"I-I know, but…" Hinata took a deep breath; damn her stutter! "Please…"

"You do what the lass is asking you, lad. I'm positive there still be a lot of work for you to do when you return." one of the workers spoke, but Hinata could bet that they were just happy for her to be there. "C'mon, off you go."

"Fine." Naruto growled before dropping the piece of wood he had been holding, and in a matter of seconds, he was standing beside Hinata, an annoyed look on his face.

Oh great. He was mad.

"C'mon." Naruto muttered, before motioning for Hinata to follow him with a hand, and the Hyuuga heiress nodded.

In silence, the two of them walked through the gates of the hospital, and made their way through the empty street. Naruto being silent was no surprise for Hinata, but the look on his face was worrying the girl.

Hinata could see specks of red emerging from the depths of Naruto's eyes, and she could also see the lines on his cheeks getting thicker. Unfortunately Hinata knew what that meant, but the worse was that she did not know what to do to stop it.

»«»«»«

He really did not know what to do to make her realise that he was fine. Not only that, but he had no clue about what to do in order to show her that she was free to leave him, and go check on the children.

He seriously did not know why she was always so worried about him, when it was obvious that he was fine.

"_I'm your friend, of course I'm worried about you!"_

He did not know how to deal with that kind of thing. He had not been raised to know how to deal with those kind of confessions. Sure he had heard about them, especially because of his siblings, but he sure was not used having people confessing their feelings about him to him.

A hand on his shoulder forced Gaara to abandon his thoughts, and he looked to his side only to see Mairi next to him, observing his back. In silence, Gaara looked at the wall across from his position, where a desk was, and saw that Temari was still talking about something.

"…and the workers are worried about another possible explosion. Baki said he's going to take care of that himself, and I told him I was going to make part of the team as well…"

"You're aware of the risks." Gaara spoke before he could stop himself, and Temari stopped rambling as she looked up from the papers she had been analyzing, a questioning look on her face. "You know if it's wise to make part of the team or not."

"What? You expect me to keep giving you reports, while everyone else risks their lives for the sake of the village?" Temari asked, but Gaara did not answer as he felt Mairi's hand rest in the middle of his back. "I'm not made of glass; it's my responsibility to help."

"….I wasn't questioning your duty or your willpower." Gaara finally muttered as he forced himself to focus his attention on his sister. "But you must inform Baki that I want to be warned about everything you find. This is my village, and it's my job to protect it."

"You can't possibly be thinking about saving this village all by yourself!" Temari exclaimed as she dropped the papers she had been holding, but Gaara did not utter a word as Mairi walked past him, and stopped on his right side. "Every ninja of this village wants to help you, and it's not your job to stop us!"

Suddenly, Mairi stepped in front of Gaara, and whispered an 'excuse me' as she started to examine his heart, both her hands resting on his chest. Unconsciously, Gaara locked his eyes with the girl's neckline which was easy to see since Mairi was wearing a simple blue top.

"Gaara, I have to do something too." Temari said as she started to gather the papers in one single pile. "Seriously, you may be the Kazekage, but you sure can't stop me."

"…I'm not." Gaara pointed out, his eyes still locked with Mairi's neckline. "…I'm just telling you to be careful."

"Just what I needed." Temari growled, and Mairi stepped away in silence so that Gaara could see his sister staring at him, her arms pressed against her chest. "I don't need an overprotective brother. Kankurou is already a pain."

"…Fine, I won't say anything else." Gaara answered, and Temari grabbed the pile of papers before leaving the room, muttering something about having two annoying guys as brothers.

In silence, Gaara glanced at Mairi, who had her back to him since she was writing something down on a paper. There was something different; Gaara could not say what exactly, but whatever it was, it _had_ changed.

"Gaara-sama, I truly advise you to calm down." Mairi started, without turning around, but Gaara kept staring at her with a blank expression on his face. "But I know you can't do it, so I seriously don't know what else to recommend you."

Was that a defeated sign in her words?

"You saw what happened…" Gaara started, his eyes locked with the girl's back, "I can't rest now."

"You can never find time to rest." Mairi retorted bitterly, but Gaara's blank expression did not quiver. "You can never find time to be a normal person, but of course, since you're a Kazekage, I understand that normality is the last thing in your dictionary."

"You're angry." Gaara pointed out, though not looking one bit troubled by it. He had grown up with people getting irritated at him all the time. The only difference was that this time, he could not say why Mairi was annoyed.

"Who? Me? Angry? Of course not, it's not my job to get angry at my patients." Mairi replied as she continued to write something on the paper. "My job is to help my patients to get better, but I must admit you're the first who doesn't want to be helped."

When those words left Mairi's lips, Gaara found himself blinking. She was mad because he did not want to rest? It was not like it was his fault; he was the Kazekage, he had a whole village to look after.

It was simply impossible for him to rest.

"But you know, I understand." Mairi continued, and Gaara saw her put the pen down though she had yet to face him. "I understand that you're job doesn't allow you to slow down, and I understand that you're connection to the village makes you put everyone else above you, but…"

Slowly, Mairi turned around, and Gaara could not help but blink in confusion when he saw how her eyes were sparkling. They were sparkling with…tears? Why was she crying? That did not make any sense to him.

"I just wish someone could help you realise that you need to be alive and in great health to watch over everyone." Mairi finished, and moments later Gaara stood up from the table where he had been sitting, their eyes locked.

He seriously did not know what to do. No one had ever cried on him, much less because of him. Nothing made sense to him, therefore Gaara simply did not know what to do or say. All he could do was stare at Mairi, trying to find answers to his confusion in her watery eyes.

However, before Gaara could even think of something to say, Mairi looked down.

"I'm sorry." the girl apologized, in shame. "I didn't mean t-"

"Onee-chan!"

As he looked to his side, Gaara saw Maiko walk inside the room with a smile on her face. However, this time she was holding the wrist of a young man with dark blond hair and grey eyes.

"Maiko, what are you doing?" Mairi asked, and Gaara noticed the hint of concern in her voice. "I told you never to talk to strangers."

"But he was just sitting on the hall!" Maiko quickly explained, the strange man standing beside her, holding his side. "He looked as if he was in pain, and I thought he was just waiting for someone to see him. Please, nee-chan, everyone else is busy."

"Fine, but you must leave." Mairi spoke, but Gaara understood that her words were directed at him since she had looked at him. Then, she turned to the stranger. "Please, sit on the desk. I'll examine you in an instant."

"Thank you." the young man whispered with a short nod, and he gently got free of Maiko's grip, and did what he was told.

For a moment, Gaara just watched Mairi asking for the boy's name as she looked for some gloves to use. Funny, every time she had been examining him, Gaara did not recall seeing her with gloves.

"My name is Zurui, I'm a construction worker." the boy introduced himself, but Gaara was forced to look away from him and Mairi when he felt someone tug his sleeve.

"Gaara-sama, I think onee-chan said that we had to leave." Maiko commented when the Kazekage looked down at her. Then, before Gaara could explain what was going on, Maiko grabbed his hand, and pulled him out of the room.

»«»«»«

He was aware that he was at the edge of exploding, but he was also conscious that that was not the best thing to do be done. Not when everyone was counting on him to help out at the hospital, and especially not when it was Hinata who was with him, trying to make him calm down.

It was strange though, how despite of his condition, Naruto could almost swear that Hinata's presence was already affecting him. He could not say how or why, but truth was that he felt almost as if Hinata could calm him down by whispering something or even just by touching him slightly with her feather-like touch.

He was still mad. His blood seemed to pump faster and faster every time he recalled that his friends were at the hospital for a reason that no one could explain, but it was also true that with Hinata next to him he felt strangely calm.

Possibly _dangerously_ calm, but Naruto still felt that while Hinata was with him, he was not going to blow up.

"Naruto-kun, I know you're probably too busy, but I…" Hinata took a deep breath as they stopped a few meters away from the park, where a group of ninja were, probably trying to find what had caused the explosion. "I just wanted to know how you're feeling."

"Fantastically great." Naruto retorted before he could control himself, and then he groaned. "Sorry, didn't mean to sound rude."

"No, it's okay." Hinata replied, and Naruto mentally chuckled; she was always so ready to forgive him…

"You know, with all this stuff going on, I almost forgot about Sasuke-teme." Naruto commented with a small, ironic smile on his face. "Never thought that was possible."

"Well, we have been busy." Hinata whispered with a short nod, and Naruto tore his eyes away from the park to gaze at the young woman, standing next to him. "Everyone understands your reasons, Naruto-kun."

"Well, even if they don't, I bet you do." Naruto stated, and despite of the teasing tone in his voice, Naruto laughed slightly when he saw Hinata blushing. "Well, it's true, isn't it? It's amazing how you always seem to get me."

"D-don't say that, Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered, and the blond raised an eyebrow at her plead. "I'm just trying to be a…a good friend."

"Well, allow me to say you're doing a heck of a job." Naruto said with a smile, and Hinata glanced at him before looking away, her cheeks now a bright shade of red. "And once again, I must confess you look lovely when you're blushing."

Okay, so at the moment he was suffering of mood-swings. Who knew? Perhaps it was Sakura rubbing on him, after all, she did have _massive_ mood-swings… But then again, perhaps that was just the effect that Hinata had on him.

"I guess you're feeling better then." Hinata commented, and Naruto chuckled before resting a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"You know, Hinata. I think this is all your fault." the boy started, and Hinata looked up at him in confusion. "I mean, every time I'm with you…well, I can't explain, I just feel different. I actually want to be mad right now, but I don't know….ever since you showed up that I feel calm."

"T-That's a good thing, I presume?" Hinata asked, looking rather embarrassed, and Naruto shrugged before resting his left hand on her shoulder as well.

"You know, Hinata, I have no idea why, but sometimes it feels as if you have some kind of power over me." Naruto confessed, and he smiled sheepishly when he saw the confused expression on Hinata's face. "I mean, what else could explain this ability of yours to calm me down this quickly?"

"I-I don't know…"

"Hey, remember what I told you during the festival?" Naruto questioned suddenly, but instead of answering, Hinata blushed ten shades of red. "Well, hum….truth is that, well…I don't know when this happened, but I…."

Naruto took a deep breath. Only heavens knew what was going to happen after he said this. Not that he thought it was the right time to say it, but then again, nothing on his life was normal, so he saw no reason to try to be reasonable.

"I do think you're hot." Naruto whispered, and Hinata's eyes widened in shock and surprise. "And ever since the hospital exploded, and I saw everyone getting hurt, I….I have felt the need to do this."

Since he was determined not to allow anything to interrupt that moment, Naruto decided to push all second thoughts to the back of his brain. That was their frozen moment, and perhaps their only moment, and he would be damned if he ruined it all just because of his insecurities.

And so, without thinking twice, Naruto lowered his head, and felt the hairs on his neck stand up when his lips found Hinata's.

**To Be Continued…**


	13. You and Me

**Disclaimer:** Everything here belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own my own characters and the plot of this fic. Nothing else is mine.

»«»«»«

I had a teacher once who kept telling us that even if our work sucks, we must not say it out-loud because people will lose interest in what you're about to present. However, I think that you deserve to know that all I have for you, after almost three months without touching this fic, is a bunch of crap. You guys deserve the best, and here I am, presenting you an eight pages chapter full of crap.

I really hope you guys can forgive me for this bunch of silliness. I promise I'll try to write a better chapter next time.

»«»«»«

**Chapter 13**

_You and Me_

_Cough cough_

He had been coughing for the past five minutes, and she had heard him clearly on the first time. In fact, she had woken up when she had heard him, and even though her body was imploring for some rest, Hana refused to drift back to sleep.

_Cough cough_

Without raising her head from the pillow, Hana gazed at the person who was sleeping just across her position, in another bed, and the corner of her lips curled up into a small smile. Hana could remember perfectly well the afternoon when Hinata had walked inside the hospital, trying desperately to hide her goofy smile, and failing miserably to replace her dreamy expression with a neutral one.

Of course that it was only afterwards, when they returned home, and met Naruto that Hana understood what had happened. After all, while Hinata tried to conceal her feelings, Naruto had no problem in showing his content smile.

Hinata and Naruto never uttered a word about what had happened between the two of them, but Hana knew it had been good. And she was happy for them.

_Cough cough_

With an inaudible sigh, Hana looked at the bed on top of Hinata's, where Sakura was sleeping. Hana knew that Sakura still loved Sasuke, and wanted to bring him back to Konoha, but it was also clear that Lee had not given up. True, the two of them were just friends, but Hana knew that Lee still wished for the day when Sakura would look at him, and see him as something else rather than just a fellow shinobi.

_Cough cough_

Above Hana's bed, was Mesi's. Now, Hana did not know the female Jounin, but sometimes she had the feeling something was going on between Mesi and Kakashi.

_Cough cough_

Hana glanced at the closed door of the bedroom. Then, there was Shikamaru and herself, still acting like complete strangers even though they lived in the same apartment. Hana had to admit that it still hurt her to remember what Shikamaru had told her, but now – after such a long time without talking to the lazy guy – Hana understood why he had behaved in such way.

Besides, it was true. She _was_ a burden outside the hospital, and Hana knew Shikamaru had every right to see her as an unnecessary weight.

_Cough cough_

With a sigh, Hana pushed the blanket off her, and swung her legs off the mattress before standing up. She knew why he was coughing like that, and it had to stop.

With quiet steps, Hana left the bedroom while closing the door behind her. Even though there was no light to guide her, Hana was positive that Shikamaru was in the kitchen. Apparently that had become his favorite spot, especially to smoke since he could just lean against the counter and stare through the window.

It was with a deep breath that Hana walked through the door that lead to the kitchen, but all air left her lungs seconds later.

The moonlight sure was blessed for it was the only thing that could touch every surface without being pushed away. And despite all the motives that had forced Hana to leave the comfort of her bed, everything was forgotten when she noticed that all Shikamaru was wearing was a pair of baggy pajama's pants.

Regardless of all those years they had spent together, Hana had always seen Shikamaru either in his ninja outfit or in his pajamas, and sometimes she had even seen him wearing the hospital gown. However, she had never, ever, seen what was underneath all the clothing like she was seeing now.

And damn, he was a piece of art.

It only took Hana a couple of seconds for her to feel her heartbeat speeding up, warmth spreading through all of her body while her cheeks became a deep shade of red.

_Cough cough_

Hana parted her lips to speak since Shikamaru had apparently failed to sense her, but no words broke the silence of that night. Well, at least not her words…

"What are you doing up?"

Hana jumped slightly in surprise at the voice, and noticed that Shikamaru was staring at her with a cigarette on his lips. His expression was one that Hana was not used to see since it was a mix of confusion and exasperation.

"I heard you coughing." Hana explained, mentally thanking the fact she was still close to the doorframe so that Shikamaru could not see her flushed expression. "I thought you were smoking, so I decided to tell you to stop it."

"Feh, since when you're my doctor?"

At that Hana could not help but flinch, her heart still beating at full speed, but now of awkwardness and uneasiness.

"I just thought I could come to you as a friend." Hana confessed in a soft tone, her eyes glancing at the floor for a moment. "You know you need to stay away from anything that can harm your lungs for some days, but if you want, I can just go."

"Tsk, whatever." Shikamaru said with a small shrug when Hana trailed off, and it was then that the girl noticed something was wrong.

"Is…Is there something wrong?" Hana dared to ask, but her nervousness continued to increase. The two of them had not spoken for almost a month, and now there she was, trying to behave as if nothing had changed between them.

"Tsk, no." Shikamaru grunted before grabbing the cigarette, a cloud of smoke leaving his lips moments later. "Why are you being so troublesome?"

He was avoiding the subject…

"Shikamaru-san…" Hana spoke, and she slowly approached the boy, ignoring the coldness of the floor against her bear feet. "I know something's wrong."

"Man, this is such a drag." the male ninja muttered, the cigarette back to his lips. "Do you have to be troublesome at this hour as well?"

Wait. He was not even looking at her. In fact, Shikamaru was looking everywhere _except_ at her.

"Shikamaru-san." Hana uttered, her voice coming out as a whisper, and when she dared to look at him in the eye, she noticed something else.

His eyelashes…

"Shikamaru-san, were you…" Hana mentally wondered if she should continue, but then she decided she had nothing to lose. "Were you crying?"

"You damn woman, it's the smoke; it's too troublesome." Shikamaru replied before grabbing the cigarette, and throw it through the open window beside him. "Happy now?"

"Stop it!" Hana exclaimed before she could restrain herself. "Please, stop trying to change the subject, and look at me! I don't know what happened between us, but I don't like it! We weren't like this before! Please, tell me what happened!"

"Why do you want to know?" Shikamaru asked, looking slightly irritated, and Hana clenched her right hand as a reaction.

"Because I'm your friend!" she exclaimed, "Because I care about you! Because I hate what's going on between us! I know what I did was wrong, and I know I'm a burden to you, but I never thought that that was strong enough to come between our friendship!"

"Man, this is such a drag." Shikamaru muttered, and Hana did not even try to stop herself from rolling her eyes at his words. "Whoever said you're a burden is stupid, and you're an idiot for thinking like that."

"Stop it, this is not about me, this is about you!" Hana said, her heart beating faster and faster as anxiety started to consume all her limbs. "I can see that you were crying, so please, tell me what's wrong!"

"We're supposed to stay here, that's what's wrong." Shikamaru finally hissed, and Hana blinked at his words. She sure was not expecting that. "I just received a message from Tsunade-sama, and she wants us to stay here, and make sure that nothing happens to Sunagakure."

"But, if our mission's schedule is to be extended…" Hana trailed off, not sure of what to say. In fact, she did not even know why such news was troubling Shikamaru that much. "You don't want to stay in Suna?"

"We have been here for three months now." Shikamaru said, this time his words leaving his lips in a harsh whisper, his eyes darting to the open window, and Hana blinked again. "I've been away from Konoha for three months."

"We all knew this was going to take a while, Shikamaru-san, then why…?" Hana trailed off when the male ninja suddenly looked at her, his eyes narrowed slightly, but he quickly dropped his head with a sigh.

"Kurenai-sensei is seven months pregnant, and I swore I was going to watch over her." Shikamaru finally confessed, "But how on earth am I supposed to look after her when I'm stuck here?"

So that was it.

That was what was troubling him.

"Shikamaru…" Hana whispered, purposely stopping before she could utter the suffix, and then she licked her lips. "I'm sure Kurenai-sensei understands why you can't be with her right now. I…I'm sure Asuma-sensei would understand…"

"Maybe I was the idiot for trying to play the hero." Shikamaru muttered without raising his head, "I knew from the beginning that this mission was going to be troublesome, and yet I decided to accept it. This sucks, you know?"

"Shikamaru, don't say that." Hana whispered, giving one last step forward so that she was standing even closer to the boy. The only problem was that the two of them were so focused on each other that they failed to notice the strange bird that crossed the window for a second. "You know we need you here."

"Yeah, and Kurenai-sensei needs me with her." Shikamaru retorted, finally raising his head. "She's seven months pregnant…"

"But she's not alone." Hana whispered, and then the corner of her lips curled into a ghost of a smile. "I'm sure that if she knew you had entered inside a burning edifice, she would know exactly why you didn't return sooner. Besides, I'm sure Tsunade-sama informed her about what's going on."

"Hana…" Shikamaru whispered, and the girl felt herself go red again when he stared at her right in the eye. However, for some unknown reason, the boy glanced at the window, and then everything happened in a second.

Shikamaru pulled her into a strong hug before pushing both of them to the floor.

And then there was a thunderous and terrifying _bum!_

»«»«»«

Rock Lee was having some fun dreaming about his training when, thanks to his fast reflexes, his body jerked to the left side of the bed. However, since he was sleeping on the bed on top, he promptly fell on the floor.

And right on time too since on that moment there was a loud explosion, and a piece of the ceiling fell right on his bed.

"Ouch!" Lee groaned when he fell on the floor, right on his head, and in confusion he looked up, a hand on his head. With a wince, he stood up from the floor, but grew alert when he saw the huge piece of ceiling that had fallen on his bed. By then even Kakashi had stood up from his bed, but Naruto continued sleeping through the commotion.

"What on earth happened here?" Lee asked in confusion, but he narrowed his eyes before raising his fist on the air right when another piece of the ceiling was about to fall on him.

"Something's wrong." was all Kakashi said before rushing through the door of the bedroom as the whole apartment shook violently one more time. Without thinking twice, Lee went after the older Jounin, leaving Naruto still snoring even though his face was now inches away from the floor since he had rolled in the bed with the first shake.

As soon as he ran through the open door, Lee found himself staring right at Sakura, who had also just left her bedroom along with Hinata and Mesi. All of them were staring at the walls, confusion written all over their faces.

"What the hell happened here?" Sakura asked as she stared at a small fissure that had appeared on the wall just across her. "This sounded like an explosion."

"Hey, what's going on?" a sleepy voice asked suddenly, and everyone saw Naruto emerging from the boys' bedroom, rubbing his eye tiredly. "Is it an earthquake or something?"

"Naruto, wake up already!" Sakura snapped, "It was an explosion."

"Where's Hana?" Hinata questioned suddenly as she gazed around worriedly, and almost immediately everyone stared at each others.

Lee only had time to see both Mesi and Kakashi glancing at each other before nodding, and then the two Jounin rushed to the kitchen. Without bothering to inquire what was going on, Lee went after them only to see his friends following him in silence.

What they saw in the kitchen was not what they were expecting.

"Oh shit." Sakura cursed, but Lee did not even bother to look surprise by her words since his attention was focused in what used to be the kitchen.

A huge hole had replaced the spot where the balcony had been, and ruins where everywhere, covering the place where the table had once stood. The whole division now resembled to nothing except to a destroyed place.

"Mesi!" Kakashi called suddenly, and Lee looked to his side in time to see the two Jounin approaching the side where the balcony had once existed with careful steps. Without caring about anything except his friends' welfare, Lee went after the two adults.

"Help me with this." Kakashi instructed as he tried to raise a brick, and with a quick nod Lee bent down, and helped the Jounin. Beside them, Sakura was also pulling huge pieces of rocks and wood aside, while Naruto and Hinata tried to find their friends in the middle of that chaos.

"Shikamaru!" Lee shouted when he raised a stone, and looked right at a familiar vest. His cry was more than enough to make everyone else start working harder on removing the debris, and in a matter of minutes both Shikamaru and Hana were already being pulled up.

"Are you two alright?" Kakashi asked as Sakura immediately rushed to the two fellow shinobi, and started observing Shikamaru, who had a large gash on the left side of his face. He appeared to have taken most of the blow, for he barely managed to open his eyes due to the pain that was shooting from all over his body. Hinata, on the meantime, was checking on Hana, whose eyes were locked with the Nara member.

"What happened?" Lee asked as he continued to hold Shikamaru with an arm, but the boy simply dropped his head in tiredness. "Hey, Shikamaru! You know better than falling unconscious in a time like this!"

"H-Hana…" Shikamaru mumbled, and Lee glanced at the said girl only to see that both Naruto and Hinata were assisting her. "The explosion…. I saw someone outside…"

"What?" Lee asked, before realizing that both Kakashi and Mesi were gone. "We really need to figure out what's going on."

Suddenly, a second explosion echoed in the horizon, but everyone felt the small earthquake that followed it. For a moment Lee pondered if he should go and try to find Kakashi, but when he noticed that both Sakura and Hinata were doing there best to help their injured friends, he got an idea.

"Naruto, why don't you use the Shadow Clone Technique? If you use it, we could stay here, and still find out what's going on around here."

"What?" the blond ninja asked in confusion as he turned to Lee, but apparently he understood rather quickly since he nodded moments later. It did not take long for two other Naruto to show up in clouds of smoke only to disappear moments later through the hole in the kitchen.

"What are we going to do now?" Naruto asked as he knelt beside Hinata, and watched her taking care of Hana's torso, and Lee figured that she probably had a rib broken. "We can't just stay here while…"

Suddenly there was another explosion, this one closer to them, since everyone was forced to close their eyes, and cover their ears in order not to go deaf. However, this time before someone could say something, Shikamaru raised his head.

"Someone's attacking Sunagakure." he groaned before struggling to stand up, which he eventually managed to do with a little bit of help from Lee. "We have to go help them."

"Shikamaru, please be reasonable, you're injured." Sakura started, raising both her hands towards the shinobi. "If you go outside in that condition, you'll most likely get killed."

"Our mission is to help Sunagakure." Shikamaru started; an arm around his stomach, his teeth gritted in pain. "I'll be damned if I don't accomplish the assignment."

"But Shikamaru…"

"I-I'm going too." Hana started, and both Hinata and Naruto helped her to stand up. "We may be injured, but we're not in a critical condition, Sakura. Let us help you."

"I can't allow you to do that!" Sakura started, "You two fighting is completely out of the question!"

"I'm the leader here, Sakura, so you'll do what I say." Shikamaru started, and the pink haired kunoichi looked away in anger. "I want you, and Hinata to take Hana to the school, and stay there. You have to help the Suna ninja with the villagers."

"What? Don't you dare to leave me away from the fight!" Sakura shouted, but Shikamaru simply glanced at both Lee and Naruto.

"The three of us are going to meet with Gaara and the others." he continued, intentionally ignoring Sakura. "They must know what's going on; Kakashi and Mesi probably went there as well."

"Fine," Lee answered, perfectly aware that there was no point in trying to convince Shikamaru that he was in no condition to fight. "Let's start moving then. Girls, watch out, alright?"

"You too," Hinata said in a quiet tone as she wrapped an arm around Hana's waist in order to help her to walk, and moments later the group split up.

As the three male ninja approached the building where they knew they were going to find Gaara and the others, they could not help but look around. There was almost no one in the streets, which indicated that the villagers had been taken to the school. However, it was also true that things were too quiet. So much, that it was becoming sinister; after all, not many minutes ago, they had been showered with explosions.

"Am I the only one who thinks that something's off?" Lee asked as he continued to help Shikamaru walking, and Naruto also started gazing around, silently indicating that he had failed to notice that something was indeed wrong.

"Someone's watching us…" Shikamaru whispered before grimacing in pain, "Naruto, you better hide in the shadows. Even if we reach the building, we need the element of surprise."

"What makes you think that whoever is watching us hasn't seen Naruto?" Lee questioned, staring at Shikamaru in confusion, and the Nara member smirked slightly despite the pain.

"Because by fading into the shadows, no one will be able to tell from which side he'll show up." he explained. "Not to mention that Naruto can use the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. I'm sure he'll know when it's the best time to make an appearance."

"Believe it!" Naruto shouted before smirking, and for Lee's surprise, the blond quickly disappeared in the shadows of the night. Who would have thought that Naruto actually knew what the element of surprise was?

"Now it's our turn." Shikamaru whispered, and Lee was about to nod when the sound of leaves rustling caught his attention. "I'll use my Kagemane no Jutsu to capture him. Thankfully we have the moon to help us out. You finish him off."

All Lee did was nod in understanding, but despite of what Shikamaru had just said, the two of them started walking again. Their pace was slow due to Shikamaru's injuries, but both of them were aware that for their plan to work, they needed to work in harmony. And truth to be told, that would be the first time they would actually work together, as a team.

Suddenly there was a gush of wind, and Lee found it impossible to move as all air left his lungs. Shikamaru seemed to have noticed this, and quickly stepped to the side, giving Lee enough space to fall down on his knees, gasping for air.

"Tsk tsk, leaving so soon?" a female voice asked suddenly, and the two Leaf shinobi looked ahead only to see a silhouette approaching them. "Aw, where's Naruto-kun? I was really hoping I could have some fun with him."

"Who the heck are you?" Shikamaru asked, but he blinked when long ice-blue streaks were kissed by the moonlight, dark-orange colored eyes finding his almost immediately. "Oh, you have to be kidding me."

"Sorry, there's no time to play right now." the girl spoke as she stopped a few meters away from the guys, and Lee slowly stood up from the ground. His torso was aching, but he guessed that was the price of having to force the enemy to reveal himself.

"You know, it goes completely against my code to hit girls." Lee commented as he straightened up, and the girl smirked before shaking her head.

"Your problem, boy, because I certainly want to fight you." she started, and moments later she was in fighting stance. "Bring it on, boy, or I'll have no problem making the first move."

"Very well," Lee said, raising an arm to the side, silently indicating Shikamaru that he wanted to see what the girl was capable of. Seconds later he was also in fighting stance, the corner of his lips curled into a smile. "Bring it on…Kotone."

»«»«»«

The sound of something breaking echoed through the whole room, the cry of a child following it swiftly. A name being shouted made the walls tremble, while hands closed into trembling fists. A pair of angry dark-indigo colored eyes was locked with a pair of mischievous grey ones, but up until that moment nothing else was done.

"Leave her alone." Mairi whispered as she continued to watch the dark-blond haired man holding Maiko against him, his right hand resting around the little girl's neck. "She's only a child; let her go."

"And lose my advantage?" Zurui questioned as he continued smirking, "I don't think so. You're the one who's in trouble now."

"Please, let her go, if you want a hostage than use me." Mairi tried to reason as she kept her fists closed tightly, "I'm sure I'm much more valuable for whatever your doing than a frightening child."

"That may be true, but it's also true that they won't attack me while I'm using her as a shield." Zurui stated before chuckling. "The same can't be said if I use you."

"Be that way." Mairi whispered before raising her hands, and close her eyes. "Shōsen Jutsu."

"Ah yes; the jutsu that reaches organs and muscles, but doesn't damage the skin," Zurui pointed out as chakra started emanating from Mairi's hands. "Seriously, do you really think you can use that without hurting the kid first?"

"I might as well try." Mairi hissed, but before she could give one single step forward, someone shouted _Shannaro!!!_ and Mairi was forced to jump backwards when the wall beside her exploded.

When the smoke cleared out, Mairi found herself staring at a pissed Sakura, a wounded Hana, and a worried Hinata. Zurui, on the meantime, narrowed his eyes as he continued to hold Maiko close to him.

That was going to be complicated…

**To Be Continued…**


	14. To Be Us in Battle

**Disclaimer:** _Naruto_ belongs to **Masashi Kishimoto**. I only own my own characters and the plot of this fic. Nothing else is mine.

»«»«»»

After half a year without touching this fic, inspiration finally kicked in, and allowed me to write this chapter. The fact I wrote this also has to do with the recent reviews I have received, and that actually lead to me re-read this whole story again. Afterwards, I found myself thinking about a way to continue with it, and tada! This was the result. Also, since you all know how much of a great writer I am when it comes to battles (note the sarcasm, please) I hope you guys forgive me for the way I wrote this chapter. Ah, before I forget, the rating of this story will be changed. There are many reasons that explain why, but I do not wish to bother you with it. Just thought you deserved to know.

Anyway, all I did up until now was to ramble, and I have not done something extremely important, which is; **to thank all of you, my friends and reviewers, for your constant help and support.** Without you, I certainly do not know if I would have written half of what I did. Thank you!!!

**Chapter 13**

_To Be Us in Battle_

It was hard to explain what exactly was going on in Sunagakure. There were shouts, screams, tears, sweat and blood everywhere as metal constantly kissed metal. It was also complicated to elucidate from where all those enemies had emerged, but every ninja from Sand knew better than to get lost in all those confusing questions.

Even though it was against his code to fight girls, Lee had been forced to engage in a fight with Kotone right after she had attacked Shikamaru. Since he was already injured, Shikamaru had been unable to protect himself properly, and was currently leaning against a tree, an arm wrapped around his stomach as he continued to pant in both tiredness and pain.

Naruto had long left them, after being informed by a ninja from Suna that the school was in danger, and that therefore needed to be protected. Since the girls were at the school, Naruto had quickly appeared next to Shikamaru only to apologize, and say that he needed to make sure that the girls were safe. Besides, he had added, Lee was more than enough to take care of Kotone.

And that had been how Shikamaru had been forced to stay on the sidelines, watching a very peculiar fight take place. Even though he did want to help his friend, Shikamaru knew that he would most likely get in the way, and so he was now watching Kotone move around, avoiding Lee's attacks, his mind racing to come up with a plan.

Lee was definitely an expert when it came to taijutsu, but Shikamaru could see by his movements that Lee was not giving his best. However, truth to be told, Shikamaru could almost swear that Kotone was concealing her strength as well, because there had to be a reason why she was using a naginata to fight.

Unless, of course, she was a follower of naginatajutsu, which was the Japanese martial art of wielding the naginata.If that was true than Shikamaru knew that if he stayed there he would witness a hell of a battle as soon as both Lee and Kotone decided to stop playing tag and get serious.

"C'mon Lee, stop fooling around," Kotone taunted as she started walking around in a circle, Lee silently mimicking her movements with his fists raised in front of his face. "I seriously want to finish what I started."

"I'm sorry, but I won't allow you to lay a finger on Shikamaru." Lee answered, knowing exactly about what Kotone was referring too. "But what if you explain me why you're doing this? We were friends."

"In your head we may have been, but in mine you were just a pawn." Kotone answered with a small smirk as she held the naginata with both her hands. "You see, we needed to do this in order to find the crack that would allow us to infiltrate in Sunagakure without anyone suspecting us."

"Why would you try to destroy Suna?" Lee questioned as the two of them continued staring at each other, and Kotone shook her head. "Why are you trying so hard to devastate this village?"

"Oh, just cry me a river and drown in it while you're at it," Kotone said as she rolled her eyes, but it was then that she raised the naginata upwards. Lee, on the other hand, did not even blink when he sensed the curved blade inches away from his throat. "Why we're doing this is none of your concern."

"On the contrary, this may not be my village, but it sure means a lot to me." Lee interrupted, but Kotone simply rolled her eyes again. Slowly, both of them stopped moving, Kotone still holding the naginata up, while Lee continued staring at her in the eyes. "You're such a smart girl, and quite pretty too, so why…?"

"Oh shut up, chatting time is over!" Kotone shouted, and Lee gave a somersault backwards when she thrust her weapon forward, "If you want to know why the hell we're doing this, than you better fight! And stop holding back!"

"Only if you do the same," Lee said as he straightened up, and Kotone smirked before nodding. "Also, allow me to apologize in advance, because I'm going to hurt you, and I feel no pleasure about it."

"Bring it on," Kotone said as she raised her weapon in front of her, and Lee nodded before disappearing in a flash.

From that moment on, everything was a blur for Shikamaru. No matter how hard he tried to clear his head, all he could see was Kotone's ice-blue streaks flying around as she avoided Lee's attacks by using the naginata while Lee himself was just a huge green smudge. As he blinked, Shikamaru tried to focus his mind on the battle, because he knew he had to find Kotone's weak spot. After all, Lee was the best when it came to taijutsu, but he still needed a hand.

All of a sudden, there was an explosion, and Shikamaru looked away from the blurry fight only to see a wave of sand covering the sky not too far from him. Unfortunately, the cloud of sand was more than enough for Shikamaru painfully understand that the school was in peril.

"Urgh…" Shikamaru groaned as he looked away from the cloud of dust and sand, to glance at Lee again. Even though he felt as if he was on fire, and that he could swear he could hear his ribs cracking as he moved, Shikamaru knew he would have to suck it up, and stand straight. He had to help Lee, so that both of them could follow Naruto, and go to the school.

"…Troublesome…" Shikamaru managed to groan as he raised his shaky hands in front of his face, his eyes squirming in pain as he managed to find Kotone's long hair in the dark. At least the moon seemed to be on their side, and he was not going to lose that advantage just because of his worn out body.

After a deep breath, Shikamaru waited for an opening. There was the risk of catching Lee if he activated his jutsu at the wrong time, and that would prove to be more troublesome than helpful. So, as he struggled to clear his vision by shaking his head twice, Shikamaru took a deep breath, and waited.

The twirl of the naginata…a punch…a block by using the wooden staff…a front kick…a flip backwards…a palm heel strike, which Kotone was unable to avoid, and Shikamaru narrowed his eyes when the girl went flying through the air.

There!

"_Kagemane no Jutsu!"_

»«»«»«

A cough left a pair of dry lips as the cloud of dust and sand finally started settling down again. However, even though it was extremely difficult to see through it, the sound of hits, kicks, and yelps of pain and surprise still echoed through the whole place.

Even though the fight between Sakura and Zurui had started inside a classroom, it had rapidly been extended to the whole floor. Throughout the fight, Sakura had cleverly decided to smash down some walls to increase the arena, and had showed enough of her strength to convince Zurui that it was better for him to let go of Maiko.

"W-We need to do something!" Mairi exclaimed as she watched Zurui jumping backwards in order to avoid Sakura's kick, "We need to stop them! The building may not support Sakura's force for too long!"

"They should go outside…" Hinata whispered before glancing at the wall beside her, and notice the huge cracks on it. Mairi was right, and she knew it; they had to understand what was going on, but to fight inside the school was pure madness. They had to think of the wounded that were inside the building!

"Hinata, w-what's going on outside?" Hana asked as she dropped her arm from around Hinata's shoulders, and leaned against the destroyed wall behind her. "How's everybody else?"

Almost instantaneously, Hinata activated her _Byakugan_, and started checking their surroundings. First, she checked the rest of the school; people were screaming, and trying to understand what was going on, but none of them were trying to get out. And Hinata understood why when she checked what was going on outside; the medical teams had created a barrier around the school, but truth was that it did not seem strong enough.

And Hinata comprehended why when she noticed that some members of the medical teams were missing. As she closed her hands into fists, Hinata continued scanning the surroundings; there were explosions everywhere, Sunagakure's ninjas fighting other ninjas which did not have the Sand's headband, and…

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered to herself when she spotted Naruto a few meters away from school, Gaara standing next to him. On the contrary of the Kazekage, Naruto looked furious, and more than ready to hurt whoever dared to annoy him.

"How is it?" Hana questioned as she looked at Hinata, aware of the name that she had whispered. "Is it safe to take the wounded out of here?"

"Actually, they have created a barrier around the school." Hinata explained without deactivating her _Byakugan, _"But it's rather weak, because some medical-nin are missing. They're probably fighting somewhere else."

"A barrier?" Hana repeated, and Hinata turned her head to her before silently nodding. For a moment all they could hear was Sakura fighting Zurui, but Maiko's gasp forced them to look at the pink haired girl.

"What on earth is that?" Mairi whispered as she stared at the weapon Zurui was now holding. Hinata, on the other hand, bit her lower lip in nervousness and worry. She did not know how Zurui could have entered in the school while carrying that around, and neither did she understand how Sakura had failed to notice it as well.

Zurui was holding a kusari-gama, a weapon that used to be handled by farmers in the past. It consisted of kama, or scythe, on a metal chain with a heavy iron weight at the end. Hinata knew that the kusari-gama itself would not be enough to stop Sakura, but it was still a weapon that could cause serious or deadly injuries because of the chain.

"A barrier!" Hana exclaimed suddenly as she widened her eyes a little bit, and both Hinata and Mairi turned to her, while Maiko continued leaning her back against her sister's legs since she was still watching Sakura. "That's it! They need backup, right?"

"Y-Yes, I think so…" Hinata answered not sure of what Hana was planning to do, but the other girl simply smiled faintly at her before gazing at Mairi.

"I need to go to the balcony, on the top of the school."

"What? What do you think you're going to do?" Hinata asked right when Mairi had opened her mouth to ask the same thing. "We are supposed to stay together."

"Well, I can't fight, but you can." Hana started before looking at Sakura in time to see the girl duck the chain that Zurui had thrown at her. "You are going to stay here, and tell Sakura to go outside."

"Yes, but what are you going to do?" Mairi asked, and Hana looked away from Hinata to glance at her.

"I'm going to help the medical teams."

Even though Hinata had not been convinced by Hana's words, and had been unable to persuade her friend that she was wounded and that therefore should not do anything too risky, she had been forced to watch Mairi and Maiko help Hana leave the room. Then, as she struggled to come up with a plan, Hinata looked at Sakura, and gasped at what she saw.

"Is this all that you have?" Sakura asked as she raised an arm in front of her face, and felt the chain swirl around it until it reached her elbow. "C'mon, this isn't even a warm-up for me."

"Shut it." Zurui hissed before gazing at the chain, "In case you haven't noticed, I've got you."

"Well, I don't know if you know, but the kusari-gama is well suited against swords and spears," Sakura started, and then she smirked, "And in case you haven't noticed, I'm carrying none."

Before Zurui could move, Sakura grabbed the chain with her free hand, the smirk never leaving her face. Then, with a small shout, Sakura pulled the chain, and Zurui yelped when he was yanked forward before screaming in pain when Sakura used a groin kick.

"Sakura!" Hinata shouted when she noticed that the wall beside her friend was about to crack, "You have to go outside! The building won't support the weight if you keep destroying the walls!"

"Darn, I forgot about that." Sakura grunted under her breath as she watched Zurui struggling to keep standing despite of the obvious pain he was feeling. "Guess we'll have to continue this away from here."

"Sakura, two meters to your left, 3 inches from the floor!" Hinata elaborated without moving, her eyes scanning for a good spot on the walls for her friend to hit without putting the whole building in jeopardy. "As soon as you leave, I'll go outside as well!"

"Be careful!" Sakura shouted before smashing the wall, and turn around in time to avoid an attack from Zurui. "Calm down; you heard what she said. We have to go outside, and then you can continue to try to kill me."

Even though she did not understand how Sakura could be so calm when Zurui continued trying to hurt her, Hinata used her _Byakugan _to run through the halls, checking if everybody was alright. She also spotted Mairi and Maiko helping Hana climbing the stairs towards the balcony, and for a moment Hinata wondered what Hana could be planning.

However, it was also then that she stopped her tracks. Everyone seemed to be doing something to protect the village while all she did was check if the wounded were alright. She knew they were, and yet, she constantly tried to assure herself that nothing had happened to the people inside the school.

Was it possible that there was nothing else she could do?

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered as she used her _Byakugan_ to find the said boy, and she gasped when she found him and some of his clones fighting a few ninja from other village. She had to help him!

Without thinking twice about her actions, Hinata turned around, and started running through the crowded halls, doing her best to avoid every person that appeared on her way. It did not take long for her to get outside, but Hinata was forced to stop her tracks when she noticed the raised barrier.

As she recalled that the barrier was not as strong as it was supposed to be, Hinata used her _Byakugan _to find the weakest spot. She ended up finding it, behind the school's building, and without wasting any more time, she rushed towards it.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called-out as she run through the village, her _Byakugan _still activated. For her relief it did not take long for her to find him again, still fighting the same ninja, but before she could reach him, Hinata was forced to jump to her side.

Immediately, Hinata took a kunai from her pouch, and deactivated her _Byakugan_ right when the sharpened head of a spear tried to connect with her head. As she continued holding her weapon in front of her face, Hinata looked at her opponent, and her eyes widened when she recognized the pair of mahogany colored orbs that were staring at her.

Then, one word left her lips…

"Kaleo…"

On the meantime, Hana, Mairi and Maiko finally reached the top of the stairs, but when the two sisters were about to step outside, Hana stopped them with a hand. Then, as she tried not to wince in pain, Hana turned to them.

"Thank you, but I can't let you come with me," she said in a quiet tone, and Mairi blinked at her words. "I'm going to try to do something very foolish, and I don't want anyone with me just in case something goes wrong."

"I'm not going to leave you all by yourself!" Mairi started, but Hana shook her head. "You can barely stand!"

"I know, but you have your sister to take care of." Hana started as she glanced at Maiko, and Mairi unconsciously rested a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Just make sure everybody else is safe."

"But…what are you going to do?" Mairi asked, and Hana shrugged.

"Something very troublesome," she answered before turning around, and with very slow and shaky steps she made her way towards the middle of the balcony.

"Sister…" Maiko started as she looked up at her older sister, but Mairi continued staring at Hana's back while biting her lower lip in nervousness. She did not know what was going on, and neither did she know if she could be of some help, but she did not want to leave Hana alone.

"Sister…" Maiko called out again, and Mairi looked down when she felt a small hand covering hers. When their eyes met, Maiko smiled slightly, "We're going to stay here, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are…" Mairi whispered as she returned the smile, but she looked back at Hana moments later.

With a deep breath, Hana shaky fell on her knees, and raised her hands in front of her chin as if she was praying. She did not know if that was going to work, but she needed to give it a try; she had to try for all those who were trying their best to protect Sunagakure.

Closing her eyes, Hana started focusing all her chakra on her legs, her eyebrows twitching as pain erupted from her torso. It was painful to be in that position, but Hana knew she could not complain…

Everybody was fighting…Sakura, Naruto, Hinata, Lee, Gaara, Shikamaru… All of them were doing the best they could to make sure the village survived that night, and she was going to do her best in order to not disappoint them…

"Why are you doing this?" Naruto asked as he grabbed the collar of his opponent, who did not answer for being unconscious. With a groan, Naruto dropped him on the ground, and was about to turn around to look at his clones, when something shinning under the moonlight caught his attention.

In confusion, Naruto looked towards it, and his eyes widened in alarm when he saw who was fighting not too far from him.

"Hinata!"

…The more she tried to find what she was looking for, the heavier her torso seemed to become. She had been stupid enough to forget that in the desert it was harder to find water, but she wanted to keep on trying. No, she _knew_ she had to keep on trying…

"So, what about you telling us about what's going on?" Lee asked as Shikamaru continued using his Shadow Imitation Technique to keep Kotone immobilized. "Why are you doing all this?"

"Because…we were told to," Kotone finally answered, obviously doing an effort to move her lips, and Lee glanced at Shikamaru, who glanced back at him even though his vision was still blurry.

"Who told you to attack Sunagakure?" Lee asked as he gazed at Kotone again, who sighed heavily as she continued to point the curved blade of her weapon towards her chin thanks to Shikamaru's movements.

"The only one who could come up with such plan to force the rabbit to leave its borrow." she answered, and Lee narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion at her metaphor before looking at Shikamaru again.

"Who are you talking about? What rabbit?" Lee asked, and Kotone looked away before sighing again, either tired of answering the questionnaire or because she was thinking they were stupid. "Answer me!"

…There! It was very deep, but she finally managed to find what she was looking for. Slowly, as she increased her concentration, her fingers still entwined, Hana took a deep breath, and whispered what she hoped that would work…

"_Taki no Tate…"_

"People from Konohagakure are really idiots." Kotone hissed under her breath before looking at Lee again, and smirk. "Did you know that snakes enjoy a good meal? And apparently rabbits do make part of the menu."

"You don't mean…?" Lee trailed off, but Kotone continued immobile in front of him. Slowly, Lee turned to Shikamaru, who was about to comment when a strange sound forced him to look away, directly at the school.

And what he saw, forced Shikamaru to widen his eyes in shock and apprehension.

Meanwhile, Naruto was struggling to get to Hinata's side, but adversaries just kept on popping from everywhere, and he was starting to lose all sense of orientation. All he knew was that he had to reach Hinata's side before something bad happened to her.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_ he shouted, not looking around when more shadow clones with his appearance surrounded him. He did not know where his friends were, including Gaara and his family, but Naruto did not care about it. He only wanted to reach Hinata's side, and help her.

"Get out off my face!" he shouted when an enemy appeared in front of him, but before he could even raise his kunai, a familiar scream reached his ears.

He knew that scream so well that a shiver run down his spine…

Twirling around, still holding the kunai up, Naruto could not help but open his eyes wide in shock when he saw the person who had cried out in pain. She had fallen on her knees, and was visibly too exhausted to keep fighting.

The problem, however, was that she was so exhausted that she failed to see her opponent emerging from behind her, holding a spear. Then, he moved by instinct; his lips parted as he shouted her name, the young woman staring at him before glancing over her shoulder.

And he knew...

He was not seeing her face, but he could imagine the look of terror in her pale features…

And all he could think of was about protecting her…

"Hinata!" he shouted at same time he saw the opponent raise a spear just above the girl's nape, and he clenched his fists; he was not going to allow anything to happen to her, "Hinata! Move!"

But it was obvious that she was not going to jump aside; she was simply too tired, and that was why he had to reach her side. That was why he had to make his legs move even faster, at full speed…

All he wanted was to reach her side!

"Hinata!" he shouted again, his eyes widening when he saw the smirk on the opponent's face, and he screamed when the spear suddenly came down. All he had been able to do on that moment was to jump forward, and pull the girl to the side only to hear her crying out.

In confusion, Naruto stared down at Hinata's legs only to growl in rage when he saw that the spear had caught her leg. However, before he could even move, the opponent pressed the spear even deeper into Hinata's leg, and the girl cried out in pain.

"Get away from her!" Naruto shouted, resting a hand on the ground before swinging his leg, kicking the man on the side, sending him flying in the air. "I'm going to kill you for hurting her!"

"Naruto, look out!" someone shouted from afar, and he turned around, ready to protect Hinata with all he had, but before he could move someone stepped in front of him.

The sound of metal meeting metal echoed in the air, and surprise and shock emerged from the depths of Naruto's eyes when he saw black coat. Slowly, he gazed up, and a familiar red orb stared back at him.

"It seems that I always have to save your life, ne dobe?"

**To be Continued…**

**Note: **Just wanted to inform you all that I don't have any idea when the next chapter will be up. I'm very sorry about this (bows).


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